Emerald Genesis
by Classic Cowboy
Summary: Cowrite- Classic Cowboy and TattooAlchemist - AU - "In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, I have no choice but to join the fight, The Angels and Secrets overshadow what's right, the only hope for the world now is Green Lantern's Light!"
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Evangelion, Green Lantern and all related characters are property of their respective publishers and creators. This story was made for entertainment purposes only, not for any financial gain.

"_God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight." - Reggie White_

Neon Genesis Evangelion/Green Lantern

**Emerald Genesis**

Chapter 1: Angel Attack / Shinji Jordan

Tokyo-3 2015 A.D.

It was only October but no one would have guessed it with the sweltering heat and the chirping of the Cicadas. But then again no one would have suspected the thing that was coming towards them to wreak havoc upon a city. Shinji Jordan certainly didn't expect it when he was at a pay phone trying to call Misato Katsuragi.

"We're sorry but due to the state of emergency no outside line is available. This is a recording." The robotic yet friendly voice of the recording had said.

Shinji pulled it away from his ear and looked at it.

"So much for that." He said as he hung up the phone and then asked aloud in an annoyed grunt. "Where is she?"

Shinji was a boy of fifteen years who wore a pair of blue jeans, a T-shirt that read _Ferris-Jordan Aircraft_ and a leather jacket over the shirt. Despite his "Yankee fashion sense" he did look very Japanese with his tan skin and his brown hair. Although one feature that did give him a very distinct feature was his very deep blue eyes. A very rare feature from what most people had told him back home.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph that came with the letter that he had received that asked him to come back to Japan and to Tokyo-3. The photograph was of a purple-haired woman in her 20s in cut-off shorts and a tan tank top that read _Shinji, I'll come to pick you up. So wait for me._ There was also an arrow drawn from the additional phrase of _Look at these_ to the open curvature of her breasts. Shinji smiled at it when he thought back to his father looking over his shoulder.

"What a babe, huh?" Hal Jordan had commented.

"I'll say."

"If you get anywhere with her be sure to get it on camera."

"Dad! That's illegal. Even in Japan."

"Actually, it is perfectly legal. The age of Japanese consent is 13, kiddo."

"Hal!" Carol Ferris called out while Hal developed a very frightened look.

Still, Shinji was annoyed that Misato Katsuragi didn't meet him at the train station. Then he started to wonder why it was that he was even asked to come back to Japan. Especially since the city was as deserted as a graveyard in the middle of the night. In fact, if Shinji listened closely he could hear the faint echo of an empty soda can from three blocks away.

That was when that same announcement came over the speakers of the city:

"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION? AS OF 12:30 P.M. TODAY, A SPECIAL STATE OF EMERGENCY HAS BEEN DECLARED FOR THE KANTO AND CHUBU REGIONS SURROUNDING THE TOKAI DISTRICT. ALL RESIDENTS MUST EVACUATE TO THEIR DESIGNATED SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY."

"I'll do that." Shinji said as if the voice over the speakers could respond.

His eyes momentarily moved to one of the empty streets and for just a flash he thought he saw a young girl with blue hair dressed in a school uniform. But he wasn't sure for a flock of birds took off from their perch on the telephone pole and that was when things took a very bad turn.

Out of nowhere a great blast of wind shot past Shinji. It cased the steel shutters on the closed shops began to shutter and rattle as if someone on the other side of them were banging against them like war drums. The cables overhead thrashed so wildly that they were whistling in the breeze. The wind was soon followed by a loud boom that made him react with instinct by plugging his fingers into his ears to block out the noise.

It was soon followed by the drone of airplane turbines Shinji looked and saw several U.N. military aircraft floating slowly backward between two hills. Over the drone of their engines was a sound that was like thunder but underneath it was the crunching of tree branches. The thunder came in one loud thump after the other and it made Shinji realize they were footsteps. And he was right for from between the two hills there was a giant monster.

Even though its body was like a human its true form was nothing like it for its arms and legs were skinny. It was also without a head in the ordinary sense of the word. Instead, the "head" of the thing was a skull that sat in the middle of its chest above a great red orb. While a set of bony ribs protruded and wrapped around it.

Above his head there was another sound, a great twin woosh, and Shinji saw twin missiles flying and hitting the monstrous giant but despite the explosions, nothing happened to it. It simply stood there as if the missiles weren't even fired in the first place.

* * *

><p>Far beneath the feet of the monster and Shinji Ikari, men were watching the battle unfold on screens. Three of them were generals that witnessed their own military fight the monster without any effect.<p>

"Unidentified intruder is still coming towards us." One of the operators had reported. "The Air Defense Force doesn't have enough firepower to stop it."

"Hit it with everything we got! Don't hold anything back! Destroy that thing at any cost!" The general ordered.

And behind the three generals were two men. One with gray hair and a burgundy coat that stood behind a man wearing amber tinted glasses and a chinstrap beard. The man in the glasses sat with his face set against his propped up and his laced fingers with a stoic almost indifferent expression.

"It's been fifteen years." The man with gray hair observed.

"Yes. This time we know it for sure. The Angels are back."

* * *

><p>Back on the surface, Shinji could only stand and watch the battle unfold. But battle would be too loose and generous of a term. It was a slaughter. The Angel withstood the barrage of firepower and brought up its hand and out from it came a long spear that had a purple glow to it. The spear skewered one of the nearby planes and sent it crashing down to where Shinji was standing.<p>

Acting quickly, he dashed away from it, but he couldn't have prepared for what happened next. He watched as the angel floated upward and came down again with its feet crashing upon the downed plane. As it was about to explode from the flammable materials that were stored with in it Shinji threw up his hands to cover his face. When he felt nothing he looked out from behind his arms and saw a blue car sitting there. The door opened and there was Misato Katsuragi.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Get in. Am I real late?"

"Just a bit!" Shinji half-laughed and half-shouted.

He quickly got in the car and Misato threw the car into gear as more missiles were being fired at the angel that stood above them. Great dents had popped inward upon them as debris fell down like chunky rain.

Misato slammed her foot on the gas pedal and threw the car out and away from the danger zone.

* * *

><p>Back in the command room of NERV, the generals watched as one of their planes had fired one of their largest missiles at the creature. But the Angel had caught it in mid-air and slashed its great three fingers through as easily as a fork through a cake slice. After it had exploded and the smoke had cleared it was seen, to the generals' dismay, that the Angel was still standing.<p>

One of them slammed his fist, "It's not possible! That was a direct hit!"

"The tank battalion has been wiped out. Heavy Artillery and armored weapons seem to have no effect."

"Damnit! We're hitting it with everything we have and we're not making a dent!"

Behind the generals, the man with gray hair made the observation. "Looks like an AT field."

"Yes." The man in tinted glasses agreed. "Conventional weapons have no effect on it."

Next to one of the generals a red phone rang. He answered it.

"Yes, sir. I understand." He said. "We'll exercise back-up plan immediately."

* * *

><p>Misato's car sat on a hill far away from where the U.N. Military was engaging the Angel. She watched the battle through a pair of binoculars. It was a good thing that she was looking elsewhere otherwise she wouldn't have noticed that Shinji was getting quite an eyeful of her body that was leaned over his lap and out the car window.<p>

The plans in the distance hovered around the Angel's head as if they were flies around someone who reeked. But then they scattered.

"Wait a minute…" Misato trailed off but then gasped. "No! They're going to use an N2 Mine! Get down!"

She threw her body down on Shinji's as there was a massive explosion. First it was a great flash of light followed by an ear-splitting boom coupled with a shockwave that threw up clouds upon clouds of dust and shook the tiny car and turned it over as if it were a small toy in a child's playroom.

The car ended up upon one side while Shinji and Misato rearranged themselves to survey the damage and all they saw was the sky made black and orange as if they were watching sunset in the middle of the day. And in the center of it was a brown mushroom cloud.

As the skies cleared of its vile black and orange hue, Shinji and Misato got out of the car.

"Are you all right?" Misato asked.

Shinji spat out dirt that had flown into his mouth during the initial shockwave.

He stood up and stretched his back. "This is turning out to be one hell of a day, isn't it?"

"You can say that again." Misato agreed. "Now let's get the car back on its feet."

Shinji set himself into position with his back against the roof of the car with Misato doing likewise.

"Now push!" She ordered.

And Shinji did so with all his might and the car tumbled over and back onto all four tires.

Misato clapped off the dirt from her hands. "Thanks Shinji. You're pretty useful."

"And you're pretty late, Miss Katsuragi."

"Hey, we're alive aren't we? And 'Misato' is fine. So, Shinji Ikari we meet at last."

"Yeah. That we do." He smiled but he resented being called Ikari.

* * *

><p>Back in the command room of NERV, the generals only looked at screens with static. It was explained that when the shockwave had hit them it had taken out all surveillance systems of the target. So they had to wait for the systems to come back online to assess the situation. But the generals were not the most patient of people.<p>

"What's the status of the target?" One of the generals asked.

"It must be dead. It was a direct hit." Another general commented.

"External sensors restored." One of the operators reported.

Upon one of the screens they could see the layout of the crater but then there was a spike in the center.

"Energy reading from the epicenter!" One of the operators cried out.

"It can't be!" The general cried out.

"External cameras online." Another operator reported and there everyone saw with their own eyes the silhouette of the Angel standing in the inferno that the N-2 Mine had left behind.

"That was our last resort." The general admitted. "And it _still _had no effect. It's not an angel. It's a _demon._"

* * *

><p>On a deserted highway, Misato was driving and talking on her phone at the same time. Something that Shinji had eyed and immediately disapproved of. It was bad enough that back home in the States he saw people doing that and they usually ended up in accidents but to come to Japan and see the same thing really burned him.<p>

"Yes. Don't worry his safety is my top priority. Look can you get a car-train ready for us? Express, of course." Misato stated into the phone and said after a pause. "Well I did volunteer to pick him up so it's only my duty to make sure he gets there. See ya."

Another thing that Shinji had immediate disapproval of was what Misato had picked up and put into the back of her car. He eyed them and then eyed Misato who seemed to develop a rather comedic look of worry.

"Misato?" He asked.

"What's that?" Misato asked.

"The batteries. Isn't this theft?"

Misato looked over her shoulder at the batteries that she had jerry-rigged together in order to get the car working again.

"Um, don't worry about it." She said sounding like a very bad liar in her excuse. "It's an emergency. We needed a working car, right? I am a government official after all so everything will work out okay. Okay? Okay."

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?"

"You're no fun." Misato pouted. "You know you're not as cute as I thought you'd be. You're just a boy after all."

"And you're not as mature as I thought you'd be. On second thought maybe you are given the sagging."

Misato immediately looked down at her chest and then back at Shinji with daggers. "SAGGING!" She yelled.

"In every possible sense of the word," Shinji smirked, "gotcha."

Misato calmed down from her outburst to keep her eyes on the road but then glanced over at Shinji.

"You know, you're not exactly as I had expected." She observed.

"How'd you mean?"

"I thought you'd be like your father, Commander Gendo Ikari: Gruff and unfriendly."

"No, I'm _nothing_ like _him_. And by the way, you called me _Shinji Ikari_. Please don't call me by that name."

"But you're his son aren't you?"

"Gendo Ikari may be the sperm donor but he is _not_ my father." Shinji said with stern conviction. "My father is Hal Jordan and my mother is Carol Ferris. _They're_ my family."

At first Misato was aghast by the words that came out of the fourteen-year-old boys' mouth but then smiled and saw that he was the kind of kid who wasn't going to take shit from anyone.

* * *

><p>The generals looked closely at the monitors that were centered on the Angel and saw that its skin was melting and the skull in its chest was cracked but at the center of it a new one was growing in its place like a brand new fingernail.<p>

"As we suspected, it's regenerating." One of the generals observed.

"And it's also getting smarter." The man in the tinted glasses remarked to himself before he stood up and faced the generals.

"The situation is being entrusted to you. Do not betray our trust."

"Yes, sir."

"Ikari, given how our weapons have no effect on them that's why we're giving you a chance. Are you sure you can beat them?"

Gendo Ikari smugly pushed his tinted glasses up his nose with one hand. "That is why NERV exists."

"I pray you're right." The general stated as he and the others exited the command room.

"The U.N. Forces are exhausted." The man with gray hair stated. "What're you going to do?"

"Activate Unit One."

"Activate it? But we have no pilot."

"Not anymore. Our spare is being delivered to us."

* * *

><p>Misato's car had pulled into a long tunnel and at the end of it there was a great steel door with a logo of half a fig leaf, the letters N-E-R-V stacked against it at an angle, and a phrase in a half-circle like a halo that read, "God's in his heaven and all's right with the world."<p>

The great steel door opened and Misato pulled the car in onto a platform that took the car at a downward angle.

"NERV." Shinji repeated the word on the door. "So this is where Ikari works."

"Yeah, don't you know what your fa-, I mean, Ikari does?"

"I only heard rumors. People saying that it was for the future of mankind or something like that."

"That reminds me, did he send you an ID card?"

"Yes, he did." Shinji went to his bag and pulled out a blacked out letter that only had the words _Come _and _Gendo Ikari_ written on it. Clipped to it was a small blank plastic card that had black magnetic strip running across the back. After handing it to Misato she pulled out a thin book that read, "Welcome to NERV" on its cover with a strap wrapped around it that read "For your eyes only".

"So, Ikari wants me to work for him, doesn't he?" Shinji asked.

Misato didn't say anything.

"I thought so. The man really is a user."

"You _really _don't get along well with your father, huh?"

"I told you before." Shinji said sternly. "Gendo Ikari is _not_ my _father._"

"Okay-okay!" Misato said throwing up her hands defensively telling Shinji to back off. "I was just going to say that you sound like me."

Shinji's mind was already flashing back to the time when he was a young boy standing at a train platform crying his eyes out in a torn neck t-shirt and his bag at his feet.

Yet out of that miserable memory a very happy one came to mind – the day that he met Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. Their home in America was so warm and inviting like a roaring fire in a house while a cold blizzard was going on outside. They took him in, treated him well, helped and encouraged him to grow out of the despair of his tragedy. They taught him English and he in-turn taught them Japanese. Hal taught him how to be a man and stand up for himself. Carol taught him how to be kind to those who deserved it. Life was good. It was filled with happy memories of birthdays, Christmases, school friends, and first love.

But Shinji still had his last name of Ikari. It was a constant reminder of who his father was. That was when one day that Shinji loved in particular. He must have been nine-years-old that day when he came up to Hal at the breakfast table.

"Hal?" Shinji asked the aging test pilot.

"Yes, Shinji?" Hal asked setting down his newspaper.

"Can I call you 'dad'?"

Hal smiled as he hugged him. "You bet, kid. Welcome to the family."

And from that day on, Shinji Ikari had died and Shinji Jordan was born.

* * *

><p>The train had led down into a GeoFront, a grand cavern that must have been bigger than the Grand Canyon itself. The sheer size of the place is what impressed Shinji at first but after being lost in the vastness of it he was frustrated by it.<p>

"Well they built all of it for a reason." Misato told him as they were trying to find their way through it.

Shinji reached into his pocket and pulled out his music player, slipped on his ear buds, and listened to the songs on his playlist while he read the manual that Misato had given him. Sure a manual was dry reading but then again since there was nothing else to do but be lost in the GeoFront with Misato Katsuragi he couldn't exactly be a beggar for entertainment.

Eventually they found themselves in an elevator that stopped and opened its doors to a tall blonde woman who had green eyes and a mole near her left eye.

"Hi Ritsuko." Misato said nervously.

"Why are you wasting our time?" Ritsuko stated, "Don't you know that we're short on time and manpower."

"Sorry." Misato bowed.

"Is this the boy?" Ritsuko asked about Shinji who looked up closing the book and taking out his ear buds.

"Yes." Misato answered. "According to the Marduk Report he's the 'Third Child'."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." Shinji responded.

With Ritsuko leading the way to an escalator they overheard an announcement.

"BATTLESTATIONS LEVEL 1! PREPARE FOR GROUND LEVEL INTERCEPTION! BATTLESTATIONS LEVEL 1! PREPARE FOR GROUND LEVEL INTERCEPTION!"

"So how's Unit 1 coming along?"

"It's currently undergoing refrigeration using the B-type equipment."

"Does it work? It's never worked before."

"The possibility of activation is 0.000000001%. Thus the reason why around here we call it the oh-nine system."

"So does that mean it doesn't work?"

"Don't be insulting. It's just a number."

"I suppose it's a bit late to say 'sorry, it doesn't work.'"

If Shinji hadn't been preoccupied by looking at the manual he would have seen a great purple hand submerged in pink fluid next to him.

* * *

><p>The place was bizarre to say the least, in Shinji's opinion, first they go underground, then through a maze of steel corridors, up an escalator, across a small indoor lake of pink fluid in a rubber raft, and finally into a pitch black room.<p>

"Okay!" Shinji called out. "Turn on the goddamn lights!"

"No need to be like that, Shinji." Ritsuko's voice said as the lights came on and Shinji was face to face (literally) with a giant robot submerged in the pink liquid up to its neck. The thing looked monstrous with its metallic purple skin and singular horn sticking straight out as if it were a demon. A groove ran up, across, and down over its face like a smile for square teeth. Then there were the eyes. Even though the machine seemed to be off the eyes seemed almost alive with their whiteness inside black hollows.

"What is this?" Shinji asked.

"This is mankind's ultimate defense system." Ritsuko explained. "The synthetic life form known as Evangelion Unit 01. Built here in secret. It is mankind's last hope."

"So this is Gendo Ikari's work?" Shinji asked.

"Correct." A voice called out from above.

Shinji looked up and saw a tall man with a chinstrap beard, amber tinted glasses, and a cold icy stare behind its lenses.

"It's been a while."

"Not long enough, I'm afraid." Shinji answered back.

"We're moving out." Gendo said.

"Moving out? But Unit Zero is still in cryo-stasis." Misato protested before looking at the robot before her and responded. "You're going to use Unit One?"

"Yes." Ritsuko answered.

"Wait, but Rei can't do it can she? We don't have a pilot."

"We do now."

"You're serious."

"Shinji Ikari." Ritsuko stated. "You will pilot it."

"But Shinji just got here. It took Rei seven months to synchronize with her Eva."

"He won't do much. He'll just sit in the pilots' seat."

Misato tried to utter another protest.

"Listen," Ritsuko intervened, "defeating that Angel is our top priority. If we have someone who has a chance then we've got to risk it. You do understand that don't you _Captain Katsuragi_?"

"Yes." Misato conceded.

"You know, it's really not polite to talk about someone in the third person when that third person is in the room." Shinji brought up.

Both Misato and Ritsuko looked at him in confusion as he stepped closer to the Eva. He reached out his hand and touched the cold metal of its face.

"So this is why you sent for me?" Shinji asked Gendo.

"Correct."

"So you want me to take this robot and go out there and fight?"

"Correct."

"You know, you could have just called me and saved the airfare."

"If you're going to do it then do it now. If not then _leave_."

"Blow it out your ass, old man!" Shinji cried out. "I'll pilot it and fight. Do you know why? Because I'm Shinji Jordan! And I will not run! Especially not from a cowardly old man like you!"

"Show respect to Commander Ikari!" Ritsuko ordered.

"You stay out of this!" Shinji snarled as he pointed at the blonde woman. "Don't think for a moment that I won't fight you as well. And I won't need a purple robot to do it."

Once again, Misato was aghast at what she was hearing from this young boy but she also smiled seeing how he wasn't going to take shit from Ritsuko either even though Misato did a lot of the time.

* * *

><p>Ritsuko and Misato had led Shinji to a device that was called "The Entry Plug". As the name had implied it was a long cylindrical tube that opened up to show a pilots seat in the center of it.<p>

"You'll need these." Ritsuko said as she clipped on a pair of nodes into his hair. One on the left side of his head and another on the right. "They're the interface headset. It'll allow you to sync with the Eva."

"Before I go." Shinji began. "Misato I need you to hold onto something for me."

"What is it?" Misato asked.

Shinji reached into the breast pocket of his shirt where he pulled out his music player. On its back upon the mirror-like surface was an inscription above the company logo.

_Courage._

After looking at the inscription he wrapped his ear buds around the device and handed it to Misato.

"Keep it safe for me when I get back."

"Sure." Misato said sounding puzzled as she looked at the device. "Just don't get killed out there."

"If I do I guess it'll be too late to say 'sorry'." Shinji smirked.

He climbed into the Entry Plug. The thing closed in on itself but thankfully a set of lights came on. He could feel the thing moving about like it was a car on a track for a roller coaster. The interior walls were at first white and blank but then they began to illuminate like a television set, first with black and white static, then with colors, and at last he could see the place that he was standing only a few minutes ago. The bridge that sat across the Eva's face.

"Very cool." He remarked to himself. Then a strange liquid filled the capsule. At first, on instinct he tried to hold his breath

Then he heard a voice in his ears despite the liquid.

"Don't worry, once your lungs fill with LCL your blood will be oxygenated directly. Just breathe it in."

Shinji did and fought back the impulse to throw up with how salty and metallic the stuff tasted like. He thought to himself that if he got back from this he would have to make a note to those people to make this LCL stuff taste better.

He heard more babble of people reporting various things such as one bridge being removed or restraints that are off. That was when Shinji realized why the place was so goddamn big – they needed it for this big son of a bitch of a robot.

There was a sudden lurch backwards and at the very bottom of the screens he saw the Eva was slowly moving backwards. Unfortunately there was no rear-view camera inside the Entry Plug so Shinji couldn't see where they were going.

Finally it stopped but then Misato's voice cried out: "EVA LAUNCH!"

Shinji felt like he was being pressed down into the pilot's seat. It was similar to a vertical rollercoaster ride that his dad once took him to. Shinji remembered that he needed a moment for the blood to come back into his brain but when it did he wanted to go on it again. Unfortunately there was no thrill on this ride for when he finally stopped he looked at the forward screen to see the Angel standing in front of him like a playground bully ready to take on anyone.

Shinji then looked down at the middle finger of his right hand. There he wore a green ring that no one took any notice of except him. It was one of the final parting gifts that his father, Hal Jordan, had given to him before he left for Japan.

"You'll know how to use it when the time comes, kid." Hal had said giving Shinji a pat on the head before he got on the plane.

Looking at the ring and then back at the enemy, Shinji said one final thing to himself.

"Time to kick some ass."

**Next time:**

Carol Farris' voice: Next time, The Eva is victorious but by a very mysterious set of circumstances that are inexplicable by NERV or by Shinji who knows far more than what he is telling Gendo, Ritsuko, or Misato. Suspicious, NERV asks Misato to take Shinji in to keep an eye on his activities and find clues to the mysterious way the Eva defeated the Angel. And more fanservice!

Misato: Hey! That's my job!

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 2 – The Emerald Beast and the Unfamiliar Ceiling**


	2. Chapter 2

"Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth."

- Gautama Siddhartha, The Buddha

Chapter 2: The Emerald Beast and the Unfamiliar Ceiling

Shinji Jordan woke up looking at an unfamiliar ceiling. At first, his orientation was a little off after waking up so suddenly from a very deep sleep but then everything came back to him when he took in the sound of a heart monitor next to the bed and the sterile smell of disinfectant. He sat up and saw that he was in a completely white room and he was also dressed in a white hospital gown.

He lay back down knowing full well the events that took place last night.

Back inside NERV Headquarters and inside the docking bay where the Eva was being housed, Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi were still in disbelief that after the battle the Eva was undamaged. Not even a single scratch on the purple paint.

"This doesn't make sense." Ritsuko said as she eyed the data on her clipboard. "We ran diagnostics inside and out of the Eva and there's no trace of the energy that we saw last night."

"I know, Ritsuko." Misato sighed. "We've been over this for the last, what? Several hours? We've turned up nothing. Maybe the Eva acted on its own."

"Preposterous." Ritsuko scoffed. "Even if it did act on its own; we would have data to go on but it's like the computers registered nothing. You and I and everyone else in the control room know what happened. We all saw it with our own eyes."

"You don't have to remind me. But I wonder how the public is taking it."

"Public scenario B-22 as we predicted."

"So we're covering up the truth again?"

"We don't even know what the truth is ourselves so really we _are_ reporting the truth in some small way. But at least the PR people are happy. They finally have something to do."

"Yeah, but-"

"Doctor Akagi!" A worker called out from a nearby walkway.

"Yes?" Ritsuko answered.

"We just got a call from the hospital. The pilot has woken up."

"What's his condition?"

"They say he's fine." The worker answered. "Though he says he doesn't remember anything about what happened last night."

"You don't think it could be brain damage could you?" Misato asked in sharp concern like a mother wondering if her child had broken its arm.

"From what the hospital reported they say everything is healthy."

"Thank you." Ritsuko said as the worker dismissed himself.

Misato eyed Ritsuko and saw how she furrowed her brow. It must have been frustration that she won't get any answers but the other possibility was one that she voiced.

"You don't buy that he doesn't remember?" She asked.

"That part doesn't matter. At least the pilot is still alive and we can continue our fight."

"So the city is to become a battleground?"

"I'm afraid so."

Inside a darkened room a secret meeting was underway with Gendo Ikari and five other individuals. Every single one of them looked at the commander with narrow eyes of suspicion.

"We understand that you gave that toy to your son, is this true Ikari?"

"Correct."

"History does repeat itself when money and manpower are being wasted by you and your family. However, we also understand that there was an unknown incident that involved the Eva defeating the Angel and that NERV is still investigating."

"I can assure you all that it is being taken care of." Gendo said calmly.

"We don't want your assurance. We want results. If the Eva and your son are connected to this unknown incident we want to know about it. Despite how the Human Instrumentality Project should be your top priority this incident must also be taken into consideration since it might be used to our advantage. Which is why we want you to put your son under close surveillance."

"I shall handle it personally."

"There must also be the added consideration that since the Angels have become public knowledge NERV must take steps to handle the situation with utmost care. Especially if a similar _unknown_ event were to take place."

"I understand."

"Given this we will also consider adjusting the budget to aid in the development costs of Unit Zero. The rest of the meeting doesn't concern you. Your presence was most appreciated."

Back at the NERV Hospital, Shinji was trying to occupy himself with very little success. The television in his room only displayed the public announcements that NERV had issued to the public. And there really was nothing to read or toy with. So really the only thing that he could do was sit and look out the window.

Finally, he got fidgety and got out of bed and was about to head into the hallway when he noticed a hospital bed being pushed by a nurse past his room. The person on it shocked Shinji. It was a young girl with blue hair. She had bandages on her arms as well as a patch over her right eye. But the one exposed eye was a very deep red that looked up at Shinji with indifference as if she were a lifeless doll looking at someone passing by her box on a toy store shelf.

Shinji said nothing but he heard a voice call out to him.

"Shinji?"

He turned and found Misato Katsuragi walking towards him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." She smiled.

"Good to be back." Shinji smiled back.

"Here, you told me to hold onto this for you, so here it is." She handed him back his music player. Shinji took it but turned to look down the hall that the nurse and the blue-haired girl had passed him by.

"What is it?" Misato asked.

"There was this girl with blue-hair-"

"Oh, that's Rei Ayanami. She's another Eva pilot."

"Why was she bandaged up?"

"She was in an _accident_ about a month ago while trying to pilot Eva Unit Zero."

Shinji looked back at Misato with concern in his expression.

"She'll be fine. We have the best doctors around here."

"Good."

"So, ready to go? You'll be discharged today."

"Ready when you are."

"Okay. By the way, do you know where you'll be staying?"

"Don't know."

"Hey, since Hal and Carol asked me to look after you, you can stay at my place."

"You sure about that?" Shinji cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't go for younger guys."

Misato gave him a chug on the shoulder. "Nah, I just don't like the idea of a kid like you living alone."

"Alright."

Misato kept up her smile but she remembered a very horrible order.

"You want _me_ to _spy_ on Shinji?" Misato protested to Gendo Ikari.

"Correct." Gendo said with his same robotic coldness.

"How could you ask something like this? He's only a boy for Christ's sakes!"

"Captain." Gendo asserted his authority. "We need to know the exact events of last night. Given the damage our sensors took we cannot recall any data. And even though we saw the events on our screens our recording equipment picked up nothing. Our only option is the pilot and to find out what he knows."

"But he says he doesn't remember."

"We have reason to suspect otherwise. This is why I'm putting you in charge of surveillance of the pilot. Since he will be staying at your apartment this will give your an opportunity to observe him more closely."

"What's next? Are you going to try to use torture on him?"

"Captain. This is also an _order._"

"Yes, sir." Misato conceded.

Misato was driving Shinji back to her place when she made a suggestion. "I think we should have a party."

"For what?" Shinji asked.

"To celebrate the arrival of my new roommate."

"Is there going to be any weed?"

"What?"

"Gotcha again." Shinji smirked.

"Well, at least your sense of humor hasn't changed."

They had pulled into a local convenience store and picked up a lot of instant meals although Misato picked up quite a few cans of beer. In a way it did remind him of his father and how he sometimes did the same. Thankfully his mother would be the one to curb the drinking so that he wouldn't wake up the next morning puking. Shinji just hoped that he wouldn't have to do the same with Misato.

As they were paying for their items they overheard two women talking about how frightened they were that the city had become a battleground and that they were thinking of moving out to protect their own children. Shinji grew a very serious scowl on his face as he looked down.

That led to a rather uncomfortable silence between himself and Misato. And she had to break it.

"Hey, mind if I show you something?"

"What?"

"It's something very cool."

"Gasp." Shinji vocalized. "You're going to be funny? It's a miracle! Let's all hold hands and sing _Kum-ba-yah_."

"Oh hah-hah." Misato sneered. "But seriously I want to show you something."

They drove to a hillside that overlooked the city that seemed so empty and desolate like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. And Shinji had seen many of those on Friday nights on the couch with his dad.

"Here we go." Misato said glancing at her watch.

Over the city a great siren blared and Shinji witnessed something that was both bizarre and awesome. Up from the ground there came buildings. They were growing upward like fast growing trees until at last he saw the city was filled with buildings.

"This city is a fortress designed to withstand the ages." Misato explained. "This is Tokyo-3. And it's the city that you had saved."

"Yes." Shinji said leaning against the guardrail. "Shame the people don't know it."

"So do you remember what happened?"

"Nope." Shinji shook his head. "Wish I did. Why? What happened?"

"We're not sure ourselves that's why I wanted to know myself."

"Well." Shinji scratched the back of his head. "If I do remember I'll be sure to tell you."

"Right. Now let's go home."

Home was a small corner apartment on the third floor. Shinji already figured out which room it was given the boxes that were stacked outside the door. Boxes that he and his parents had packed for him. It still pained him to remember them packing up his stuff and sending him to Japan. They wanted him to stay but the "request" for him to come superseded their legal rights as his adopted parents. And that made him hate Gendo Ikari even more.

Misato had told him that the apartment was a little messy and that was the grandest understatement that Shinji would hear for a while given how the apartment was littered with instant meal boxes, empty beer cans, and empty liquor bottles. As he surveyed it he thought to himself, _if my mom only knew. She'd throw a fit to see me living in a place like this. Looks like I have my work cut out for me._

After eating dinner, being introduced to Misato's pet, a warmwater penguin that she named "Pen Pen", and dividing up the chores using paper-rock-scissors (to which Misato had lost most of the duels) she suggested that Shinji should take a bath. That in itself was an interesting event given that he was used to American bathrooms and he needed to remember how things were done in Japan: wash using the showerhead outside of the tub and bathe in the tub.

Upon exiting the bath and putting his boxes away in the room that Misato had given him he laid back listening to his music player and staring at another unfamiliar ceiling. He raised his right hand towards the ceiling and looked at the emerald ring that was given to him and still no one knew that he was wearing it. His father had told him that the ring could disguise itself and hide itself from the eyes of others.

He heard a knock at the door. It opened and it was Misato.

"Shinji? You still awake?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am." Shinji answered.

"I forgot to tell you something. You did something very good and very noble today. You should be proud. Good night, Shinji."

"Good night." Shinji said and the door closed.

As the door closed Shinji began opening up the stacked boxes in his room looking for something else that he knew that his father must have packed in them. At last he found it. A lantern that was emerald green all over.

"Thanks, dad." Shinji whispered. He held the ring up to the lanterns front. There was a flash of green light and then all was dark again. He wrapped the lantern in one of his shirts and slipped it underneath his bed. Upon lying down he started to wonder how long he could keep up his deception. He knew full well what happened last night and he thought back upon it staring at the unfamiliar ceiling.

"Are you ready, Shinji?" Misato had asked through the COM system.

"I'm ready when you are." Shinji responded with his hands on the controls and his eyes set upon the Angel in front of him.

"Final safety locks release!" Misato commanded. "Evangelion Unit One move out!"

Shinji could feel the rumble of the safety locks releasing the Eva. The robot had hunched forward awaiting its pilots' commands.

"Shinji, just concentrate on walking for now." Ritsuko instructed.

"Got it." Shinji responded. "Walk."

He tried to walk but the robot was so damned clunky. The first step forward was easy but when he made the second step forward the robot fell forward. Oddly enough Shinji felt no pull or push inside the cockpit when the robot fell face first into the street.

"Shinji! Get up!" Misato cried out. "You've got to get up!"

But events had moved too quickly for the Angel made the next move in picking the Eva up by its skull. It also grabbed onto the Eva's left arm and began to pull and twist on it. Shinji felt a crippling pain shoot through his arm as if it were about to be broken in half.

"Shinji! That's not your real arm!" Misato explained.

And then the Angel broke the arm. However, it wasn't the first time that Shinji had broken his arm. Once when he was nine he fell off a jungle gym and as he fell his arm came underneath him while his body landed on top of a steel bar. That sensation went beyond any kind of pain that he could recall at least until the Angel had broken the Eva's arm.

He then looked up and saw the red sphere in the monsters' hand start to glow a bright pink.

"SHINJI MOVE!" Misato screamed.

But he couldn't as a battering ram slammed against the Eva's head and consequently against Shinji's head. It felt like he was being kicked repeatedly by a steel toe boot.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

At last it broke through. The spear from the Angel's arm had broken through the skull and skewered it. The force of the blow had thrown the Eva backwards against a nearby building. It slumped forward and a red liquid began to erupt from both wounds like a double ended geyser.

Shinji was grasping onto the front of his head and looked at the Angel with fury. He pulled back his hand and looked at the ring. It was starting to glow an emerald light as it grew brighter and brighter he understood everything.

"In brightest day." He said. "In blackest night. No evil shall escape my sight. Let all those who worship evils might. Beware my power…GREEN LANTERNS LIGHT!"

All had become chaos inside the NERV command center.

"The power cable has been disconnected!" An operator shouted. "The Eva is now operating on battery power. Wait….new energy signature detected."

"Is it the Angel?" Ritsuko asked.

"Negative. It's coming from inside the Eva."

"What did you say?" Misato demanded.

"The energy signature is unlike anything we've detected. It's growing in power and-"

Before the operator could finish his sentence all the computer consoles in the Command Center began to spark and erupt in smoke, broken plastic, and shattered glass.

"Status report!" Misato ordered.

"Unknown." Another operator stated covering his eyes from the explosion.

"My god…" Ritsuko uttered as she looked up at the screen.

Misato looked as well and she couldn't believe what she was seeing on the monitors. The Eva was glowing. The light was a bright green hue that consumed every inch of its body. Most of the purple components became green, others became black, and the hands became white. In the center of its chest a strange symbol had appeared and shone in that same emerald hue.

.

Shinji sat in the cockpit with the green light of the ring all around him. He knew that the ring was powering himself and the Eva as well. Through the monitors he could see it had changed into that green hue and that made him look down at himself to see that he too had donned a similar suit of green, black, and white.

"I understand now, dad." Shinji said. "_You_ were the Green Lantern. And now so am I."

He didn't grip onto the controls like he did before. Looking down at the left arm he saw that it was still limp from when the Angel had broken it. Giving it sheer concentration the emerald light had enveloped the arm and repaired it. Shinji moved his left arm and the Eva did likewise without any problems.

Using his own body as the controller he made the Eva get back to its feet and in a sphere of emerald light the Eva flew towards the Angel like a baseball being thrown to the catchers' mitt. Before it could lay a hand a great field of orange octagons spread outward from the Angel's face. Shinji tried to break through it but it was no use.

"Typical." He sneered. He raised his hands towards the orange force field and a battering ram made of green light materialized in the robots' grip. "Time for a taste of your own medicine, bitch."

The Eva took the emerald battering ram and slammed against the barrier that separated him from his enemy.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

At last the field began to crack like glass until finally it shattered and there was nothing left of the orange force field. Shinji raised his hands and changed the object in the Eva's hands. This time he made it into the shape of a great spear and lunged it at the Angel's red core like it was the bulls' eye of a dart board. The red core had cracked and the spear was stuck. The Angel emitted a sound that could have been a cry of pure panic or desperation. For it threw itself forward and wrapped itself around the Eva.

"It's going to self-destruct!" Misato shrieked.

But there was nothing that could be done for the Angel had indeed self-destructed. It erupted in a great cross of purple light but far below there was something that no one had expected. The Eva was still standing amid the inferno of hot fire surrounded by that green light without as much as a scorch mark upon its surface.

That was when the Emerald light had vanished bringing the Eva back to its original purple self.

"Retrieve the Eva and the pilot." Gendo Ikari ordered.

It really was a great moment of glory for Shinji Jordan but he understood the implications of what had happened. As he thought about it he understood that his father had kept the secret for a long time. Most of what people knew about the Green Lantern was in news stories and gossip. And all that was lost with the Second Impact. All that was left was merely rumor and whispers of a time gone by. Not even Shinji recognized the ring when his father had given it to him. It was only after the ring began to glow that everything became clear. Almost like the ring had told him everything he needed to know.

He looked back at the ring and said to himself. "Things are now a little more complicated."

**Next time:**

Misato's voice: Despite the events with the First Angel, Shinji tries to continue a normal life but when it's discovered that he's an Eva pilot it brings a new kind of celebrity status along with hatred and resentment.

Carol's voice: What no fan service next time?

Misato's voice: Maybe and hey quit butting in on my job!

**Emerald Genesis: Chapter 3 – School Days**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Education is an ornament for the prosperous and a refuge for the unfortunate."_

- Democritus

Chapter 3: School Days

Shinji had already gotten ready for school when he passed by Misato's room. He knocked on the door and opened it up finding a great lump in her bed.

"Misato?" He called. "It's morning."

"I just got back from night duty a little while ago." Misato moaned before she yawned. "I don't have to go to work until later this evening so _please_ let me get some sleep."

"Okay. And don't worry about trash I'm going to take it out."

"Oh yeah, it's Thursday, isn't it?"

"Yup. See you when I get back." He was about to close the door when Misato called for him again.

"Hey, how's school, by the way?"

"Classes are a little boring but the people are good."

"Okay. See you later."

"Later." Shinji said closing the door, picking up his bag, the trash and heading out.

The school that Shinji went to was a little different from what he was used to back home. There, he could wear whatever he wanted and there really was no problem. In Japan he had to have a school uniform which consisted of black slacks and a short sleeve button-up shirt.

His classroom was room 2-A and the students were already there at least the ones whose families were staying.

"Hey everyone." Shinji smiled.

Everyone looked up from their seats and saved pleasantly at him. Then there was one who sat in the very middle of the class. He had light brown hair, glasses, freckles, and was playing with a military aircraft model and his video camera making noises of its engines and the firing its guns.

"Hey, commander, are you sure we're heading towards the target it looks a lot like the ground." The glasses boy said imitating the voice of a soldier and then responding to himself. "Of course, you fool! How dare you question my authority! AAAHHHH!"

"Morning, Kensuke." Shinji greeted with a laugh.

"Ah, Shinji. How are you?" The glasses boy named Kensuke Aida answered.

"Not bad. But it looks like you could have fun playing with yourself all day long." The moment the words left Shinji's mouth he began to giggle.

"Oh, very funny." Kensuke half-grinned then turned to see a girl in pigtails and freckles looking at him with a disappointed scowl. "What's up, class rep?"

"Did you deliver the printout I gave you yesterday?" She asked.

"I um…."

Shinji could see Kensuke's hand going into his desk and he knew full well that he didn't even take the paper out of his own desk.

"There wasn't anyone at Toji's place." Kensuke tried to cover up his laziness.

"Mister Aida." The class representative named Hikari scolded. "Aren't you Suzahara's best friend? Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Of course, he is, Hikari." Shinji defended his classmate.

"You don't think he was injured do you?" Hikari asked Shinji.

"You mean in that robot battle?" Shinji asked then shrugged. "Nah, the reports say that no one was injured."

"I call bull on that." Kensuke countered. "You saw that explosion on Mount Takanoso didn't you? I bet at least ten or twenty people were injured. And there had to be a few fatalities."

"Kensuke." Shinji moaned. "You're just letting your war overcharged mind running amok."

Just then the door to the classroom opened and there was a tall boy with shortly cut black hair and a dark blue sweat-suit at the door. He had such a stern look on his face almost like a soldier reporting for duty.

"Toji!" Kensuke called out. "Welcome back."

The tall boy named Toji Suzahara came over and set his bag down in the desk in front of Kensuke's.

"Where is everyone?" Toji asked. "Is our entire class missing?"

"They either evacuated or transferred to other schools." Kensuke explained. "No one wants to stay in a place where there's an actual battle going on."

"Except you that is." Shinji injected.

"Oh, Toji, let me introduce a new kid." Kensuke stated. "This is Shinji Jordan. He just transferred here from America."

"How you doin' new kid?" Toji grunted his reply as he crossed his legs and looked to the floor.

"Hey, Toji. Where've you been the last few days?" Kensuke asked as he kept making pans around the room with his video camera. "Did you get involved in the war?"

"No, but my little sister did." Toji answered grimly. "She was crushed under some debris. She survived but she's been in the hospital ever since. Both my dad and granddad are both working at the lab and if I'm not with her she's all alone. That robot's pilot is really dumb! How could he wreck our own city! It makes me so ANGRY! What'd that idiot think he was doing! I'd like to get my hands on him so I can kick the shit out of him!"

Shinji felt a wave of guilt come over him after hearing what had happened to his classmates' sister. But at the same time there was a desire for him to do something for him at least to make up for the mistake that he caused. But he also knew that if he stayed silent he would look suspicious.

"I'm sure the pilot was doing what he could at the time." Shinji said trying to console the angry classmate. "But your sister is alive, right? And as long as there's life there's hope."

"What'd you know?" Toji spat at the classmate.

"Hey, he was just trying to console you, Suzahara." Hikari defended.

Before the argument went further the teacher stepped into the room and classes began.

The day progressed at a slugs pace. The final class was history and the instructor was droning on and on about the events of the Second Impact and the aftermath that happened in its wake. It was something that Shinji had already known and studied back home. Then again, his mother always encouraged him to study hard and they would usually have contests to see if he remembered his studies and there were snacks as rewards.

Each student had a small red laptop that would be used to follow along with the teachers lessons but the students had found ways to use it as a note-passing system. Unlike in the old days when students would pass paper notes the computers allowed them to silently communicate without the instructor even knowing.

Toji was leaning back and daydreaming when he saw a small message pop-up on his screen. It was from Kensuke.

Kensuke: Did you hear the rumor about Shinji? He transferred here just after the giant robot incident. Don't you think that's an odd coincidence?

Toji: Yeah, it is.

Shinji's seat was one seat back from the front row. He was shifting between studying and daydreaming as well when he also received a message on his laptop workstation. It read:

Hikari: Is it true, Shinji? Are you the pilot of that robot? Y/N

Shinji was taken aback by it and looked around to see the face of Hikari who was had a friend of hers leaning towards her, smiling and waving at him. Then Hikari typed some more.

Hikari: It's true isn't it? Y/N

Shinji sat for a moment wondering how to handle this. He understood that knowledge of the Angels had become common knowledge and so too did the Evas. However, there was no rule in the manual that he had that said anything about him keeping the fact of him being the pilot a secret. Plus he had to admit he liked the way the girls were smiling at him as they asked the question. On the other hand there was Toji Suzahara and his sister. He would have to answer for what happened to his sister but in the end it was probably better than he knew the truth instead of fuming in the dark. With that in mind he typed his answer.

Shinji: I'll tell after school.

The moment he typed that in he heard a very low groan coming from several people in the room but that was when there was a soft set of ding-dong tones coming from overhead signaling the end of the class period.

"That's all for today." The teacher said as he left.

"Alright everyone." Hikari ordered. "Everyone stand and bow."

They did as they were instructed.

The moment the teacher left the room several of Shinji's classmates turned to look at him.

"Okay, let's hear it." One of the girls asked. "Are you the pilot or not?"

Shinji answered without hesitation. "Yes. I am."

There was a wave of surprised sounds coming from the students. All of them asking several questions all at once. Such as how was he picked, did he have to take a test, what was the robot like, was he scared to do it, and on and on they went.

"Hey, everyone please. Let's get a grip." Shinji said trying to quell the crowd. "Look. Most of the stuff I know is classified so I can't really tell you very much about it."

This time, there were audible groans from the classmates.

"Hey, new kid." Toji said standing up from the seat. "I want to see you outside."

Shinji could immediately tell the anger that was building beneath the surface. It was volcano day and Shinji was standing at the base of Mount Vesuvius.

"Okay, let's go." Shinji agreed.

Outside between the buildings many of Shinji and Toji's classmates had gathered in a circle around the two of them. Shinji was half expecting Kensuke to come out with a microphone telling everyone "Let's get ready to rumble!" and taking bets from kids in the crowd of who would win and how and when. Instead, Kensuke was standing at the sidelines with his camera handy and watching the fight unfold.

Toji was cracking his knuckles in preparation.

"Why didn't you say you were the pilot?" Toji asked in his fury.

"After what you said?" Shinji asked.

"Well that doesn't matter. I'm still gonna clobber you one to work off my own anger."

"I don't want to fight you." Shinji asserted.

"I wouldn't want to fight me either." Toji said as he readied himself into a fighting stand and came at Shinji with the first blow.

Instead of his fist making contact with Shinji's face, the kid dodged the attack and Toji lost balance. He was nearly about to trip when he shifted his weight and regained his equilibrium. Turning around he saw Shinji standing casually as if he were waiting for the train. All the while the classmates in the crowd were clapping and chanting "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Toji threw another punch but Shinji dodged it again and again and again.

"Come on, damn you! Stand still and fight like a man!" Toji demanded with his voice screeching and cracking.

"Do you really think that hitting me will make your sister better?" Shinji asked.

"No, but it'll make me feel better!" Toji shouted.

"Very well. Then I will allow you to hit me."

"You won't dodge?"

"No."

Toji stepped up to Shinji and saw the determination in his deep blue eyes. The anger that he felt built and built upon itself until he balled his hand into a fast and slammed it against Shinji's face. The punch had knocked Shinji back but he didn't fall. Instead he dropped to one knee and stood back up.

"Feel better now?" Shinji asked.

Toji said nothing. He balled his fist up again and punched Shinji in the gut. The blow had knocked the wind out of him and caused him to gasp for air as he fell to his knees and grabbed onto his mid-section.

At last, Kensuke stood over him as he was regaining breath in his lungs.

"Why didn't you fight back?" He asked. "You kicked ass in your robot. And you were doing well at dodging."

"What would be the point?" Shinji asked standing back up.

Kensuke said nothing only ran off after Toji.

Shinji looked to his left and found the blue-haired girl, Rei Ayanami. She was a little less bandaged than before but she still had a cast on her right arm, a bandage around her head, and a patch over her right eye. With her good eye she looked at Shinji so coldly and then reported, "There's an emergency. I'll report in first."

With that she ran off and left him behind.

"Right." Shinji said. "I'll be right behind you."

Within one of the many emergency shelters of Tokyo-3 the members of class 2-A were sitting upon mats waiting for the crisis to be over. However, Kensuke Aida had other plans after seeing the censorship on the television news. With Toji's help they convinced the class rep that they needed to use the bathroom.

In the men's room at the urinals Toji and Kensuke were discussing a plan.

"I need your help to unlock the gate." Kensuke explained.

"What for?" Toji asked

"I want to get footage of the robot battle."

"You really must have a death wish."

"Come on. This may be the one chance to see an actual battle. And if we let this one slip who knows when the next one will come. Besides, don't you want to see the battle too?"

"And get injured by that robot like my sister? No way."

"And what if that pilot dies in battle because of that beating you gave him? Don't you feel guilty or obligated?"

Toji was silent but the grinding of his teeth was audible. If it weren't for the trickling into the urinal the grinding would have echoed through the bathroom.

"So?" Kensuke asked. "Will you help me? Please."

"Okay! Okay! Jeez. You'll say anything to get your way won't you?"

Kensuke only grinned.

Shinji sat in the cockpit of the entry plug. He was already dressed in his flight suit or "plug suit" as it was called. It was used to increase the synchronization between himself and his Eva. The suit was a combination of white, blue and black with the numbers 01 on his chest. Despite the unknown dangers that he may face Shinji couldn't help but think back to his classmate, Toji and his sister. It made him think how many more people were caught in the crossfire of the battle between the Evas and the Angels.

"Shinji, are you ready?" Misato asked over the com.

"Ready when you are." Shinji replied.

"First neutralize the enemies AT Field then fire a volley. Do it just like we practiced. Can you handle that?" Ritsuko asked.

"Just let me at him." Shinji said.

"That's the spirit." Misato said sounding pleased. "LAUNCH EVA!"

There wasn't as much of a shock to Shinji when the Eva would launch vertically. He took it with the same blasé attitude as one would have driving their car onto the freeway but there was still the battle ahead. Deep down he hoped that everyone in the city was safe. He didn't want anyone to suffer. Not like the way Toji and his sister were suffering.

The Eva came to a stop and he ran over the combat instructions that he had gone through with Ritsuko for the past few weeks.

_Position target in the center and pull the switch. _

_ Position target in the center and pull the switch._

_ Position target in the center and pull the switch._

"AT Field has been unfolded." Ritsuko reported.

"Do it just like we planned, Shinji." Misato said.

"Got it." Shinji acknowledged as he made the Eva pick up one of the rifles from the nearby storage buildings. "Moving out now."

The Eva was hidden behind one of the buildings and Shinji could see the target on the HUD map. Taking a deep breath he made his turn as if he was making a dive into a really cold pool of water. He didn't see much of the Angel and he didn't care at first because the only thing that mattered was defeating it. With the thing in its sights he did as he practiced, positioned the target in the center and pulled the switch.

He fired volley of bullets at the enemy until there was a wall of gray smoke and he was out of ammunition. For a moment there was nothing and there was the clear sense that he had already won within a few minutes of his battle but he was wrong.

A pair of glowing tentacles shot out from behind the wall of smoke and struck the Eva. It sliced off the muzzle of the rifle and the nearby storage building as clean as a sharp pair of scissors through construction paper.

The surprise attack had knocked the Eva onto its back and despite Misato saying that a spare rifle had been sent Shinji was frozen in place. He saw the face of the enemy and it was truly monstrous with its tall, purple body and tiny arms in its mid-section that looked like the legs of a centipede. The tiny legs were wriggling as if they were blinding clawing for something to grab and tear apart. At its side there were two limbs that were connected to the pink undulating tentacles and they were glowing like neon lights and sparking like live wires that were without their protective sheaths. But most of all at the top, beneath a pink mushroom-like cap there was a single red sphere that almost looked like an eye that looked at the Eva as if it were a bug to be easily squashed.

The tentacles made another attack and Shinji instinctively ducked out of the way. The moment he did the lights in the cockpit went red and a small pop-up screen came up.

TIME REMAINING: 5:00:00

_Without the umbilical cable the Eva has a battery time anywhere from 1 minute minimum or 5 minutes maximum._

Shinji was about to act but then he felt something grab onto his leg, or rather the Eva's leg and threw him up into the air as if he were nothing more than a child's toy being recklessly handled. For a moment it did feel like an amusement park ride but then the idea of the ground had kicked in as well as slammed into him when Shinji could feel it hard against his back.

"Shinji! Are you alright?" Misato called out. "Shinji! Damage report!"

"Minimal damage. He can make it." Someone had reported over the COM system.

Getting over the initial shock, Shinji looked down and between the enormous purple fingers of the Eva's hands he saw two figures looking up at the Eva and shaking like frightened mice. Immediately, another set of pop-ups came on his screen identifying them as Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzahara.

"What're those dumbasses doing here?" He asked aloud.

Before Shinji knew it, the Angel was making another attack with its glowing tentacles. This time instead of dodging them he reached out and caught them with his bare hands. The sensation that the Eva was feeling was sent right into Shinji and it felt like he was grabbing onto a piece of silverware that had been sitting in hot water for too long. Every neuron in his head was telling him to let go of it but he couldn't because Kensuke and Toji were down there.

Inside NERV headquarters, Misato and Ritsuko had already seen the situation that Shinji had seen. They knew that Kensuke and Toji were Shinji's classmates and that boys being boys they wanted to see the fight despite the risks of being killed in the process.

"Shinji." Misato ordered. "Let them into the cockpit. Once you have them inside we'll make a temporary retreat and we'll start again later."

Ritsuko immediately protested. "What makes you think that unauthorized civilians can be allowed into the entry plug?"

"_I'm _authorizing it." Misato stated.

"You're exceeding your authority, _captain!_" Ritsuko asserted.

"If you've got better ideas, I'd like to hear them."

"Unit One's remaining activation time is four minutes." Someone reported.

"Shinji, hold Unit One on its current commands and eject the entry plug. Do it now."

Outside of Eva Unit One Kensuke and Toji knew that the Eva couldn't fight because they were there. And it was only in the face of imminent death did Kensuke come to the realization that this idea was a bad one. His first instinct was to grab Toji and run back into the shelter but then another answer had presented itself.

The back of Eva's neck had opened up and there was the entry plug along with a voice saying, "You two get in!"

The climb up into the entry plug only took a couple of minutes but it was the longest couple of minutes that Toji and Kensuke had ever experienced because with each step they took they kept looking up to see the Angel still struggling against the Eva's grip. Seeing it there was the very real sense that it could break free of the Eva's grasp and attack again while they were still making their climb. Coupled with it was a sense of vertigo where they would look down and see how high they were getting off the ground. In that sense there were three ways they could die: falling off the Eva, by the Angel inside the Eva, or by the Angel while getting in.

At last they managed to climb into the entry plug and found they were being submerged in water. The lights came back on and found Shinji dressed in a flight suit and grappling with the controls.

"Abnormal conditions occurring in the nervous system." A reported stated.

"Of course. You allowed two foreign bodies into the matrix." Ritsuko assessed. "Their noise in the nerve impulse system."

"Eva activation time down to one minute." Another reporter called out.

"Shinji! Get out of there! Utilize escape route 34! Get out!"

"Hey, new kid!" Toji shouted at Shinji. "Didn't you hear her? Let's get out of here."

"No." Shinji grunted still holding onto the controls. "I am Shinji Jordan and I will not run! Do you hear me? I WILL NOT RUN!"

Utilizing the controls, Shinji made the Eva take one of its arms away from the pink tentacles of the Angel. The moment he did, the thing made its strike stabbing into the Eva's mid-section. Shinji ignored the pain and used the free hand to pull out the Eva's progressive knife.

"What're you doing, you idiot?" Misato shouted.

"I'm ending this fight." Shinji grunted as he shoved the controllers forward and plunged the progressive knife into the Angel's red core.

"Eva activation time 50 seconds."

"Come on. Die damnit!" Shinji grunted through the pain feedback. He pushed as hard as he could against the resistance of his enemy. The clock kept counting down as if it were making as much of a threat to Shinji as the Angel itself.

"Die!" Shinji snarled until finally he screamed, "DIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

Sparks flew out from the crack that the knife had made in the core. They bounced and scattered across the neutral face of the Eva but within Shinji still had the look and determination of a warrior hell-bent on seeing his enemy dead. He knew that once the core would start to crack then the Angel would be dead but there was nothing except for that singular slash that was made.

The two giants were at a deadlock. Who would die first?

"Eva activation time: ten seconds….nine…eight…seven…six…five…"

At that five second mark, the Angel had finally relented when its core began to crack like thin ice under a heavy boot and the last set of sparks had flown out and the core had turned from its red shade to a dead gray.

"Two…one…" A reporter had finalized the countdown. "Eva Unit One activation ceased. Target is completely silent."

There was also silence within the cockpit as there was no more power to fuel the monitors or the main lights. Shinji took his hands off the controllers and leaned back in the cockpit chair. He wanted to look over at Kensuke and Toji but he couldn't see but he could hear their breathing.

"You know," Shinji began, "I hope this makes us even, Toji."

Toji said nothing.

**Next time:**

Carol's voice: Shinji has to find a way to help people with the ring without others knowing about it. He hears some comforting words from his father and his classmates but not from Misato. And what of the blue-haired girl named Rei Ayanami? She seems cold and distant but seems close to Commander Ikari. All this will be answered next time where there will be fanservice.

Misato: Damnit! Will you stop taking my job!

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 4 – Ring Training**


	4. Chapter 4

"_You see, dear, it is not true that woman was made from man's rib; she was really made from his funny bone."_

J.M. Barrie

_What Every Woman Knows_

Chapter 4: Ring Training

Shinji was lying on his bed in his room of Misato's apartment. He was staring up at the ceiling again and thinking back on the battle that he had with the Angel. It wasn't so much the battle itself but the aftermath that stayed with him the most.

"Why did you ignore my orders?" Misato shouted.

Shinji said nothing.

"I'm the one who's in charge of your operations, aren't I?"

"Yup."

"You do know that you're supposed to obey my orders, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I'm warning you not to do it again."

"I won't."

"Aren't you going to say anything in your defense?"

"Yes, I am." Shinji said looking up at her. "I did what I did because I had to. The enemy was in front of me and I had to fight it. If I didn't then others would die."

"It may be easy to go through life with that attitude Shinji but if you get in an Eva like that it will kill you."

"Oh yeah?" Shinji asked. "Tell that to Toji Suzahara's sister. She's the one in the hospital after being crushed under debris thanks to the Angel attack. How many others are in the hospital or in the ground because of that? Huh? How many? HOW MANY?"

Misato said nothing.

"I not only pilot the Eva because I'm the only one who can but I do it so that no one else will have to die. And if I die in the process then that's an occupational hazard. It's easy for you since you're the one sitting behind the operations monitors while I'm the one actually risking my life."

Within a flash, a hand had smacked across Shinji's face. He felt the red welt against his cheek swelling as he looked back at Misato who had her arm frozen in place after she made her own attack.

"Don't talk about your life like it's worth nothing, Shinji. Think about the ones who stay behind if you die."

It felt very awkward to come back home to Misato's place after having such a confrontation. The dinner between the two of them was unbearably silent like they were eating before going to a funeral. Even Pen-pen kept looking at Shinji and Misato back and forth hoping someone would say something and break the unbearable weight of the silence. But no one did.

Neither one said a word even after having a bath and going to bed.

Shinji pulled up his hand towards the ceiling and looked at the ring that no one else could see.

"There's got to be a better way." He thought. "A way for me to fight the Angels so that no one would get hurt and so no one will find out my secret."

The ring began to glow and there was a voice, "There is a way."

Shinji sat bolt upright in his bed.

"Do not worry. Only you can hear my voice."

"Who are you?" Shinji asked in his mind.

"I am the ring." The voice said.

"The ring?"

"Yes. I am the onboard artificial intelligence of the Green Lantern ring that will assist Shinji Jordan in any endeavors that are needed."

"So, you were the one who helped me out in that battle, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am and looking for a way to utilize me and still be secret. There is a way but we must leave this place for it to be done."

"How? Knowing NERV they can detect you."

"And I can mask myself from their eyes. Now will you listen and hear my lessons?"

"Yes."

"Then open the window."

Shinji did as the ring had said.

"Now, let's fly." The ring had said.

Shinji stood back from the window. He clenched his fist and the ring grew brighter and brighter until it covered his entire body and he found himself wearing the Green Lantern's uniform. Squatting down he made himself ready as if he were about to leap onto his bed but instead the green light had encircled him and he was flying out the window, above the apartment complex, and over Tokyo-3. The feeling of flight was a little like swimming through the deep waters of a pool. There was a little resistance but he was cutting right through it. And despite the cold of the night and the tightness of his suit he could not feel the tiniest shiver anywhere within him.

"Man, this is cool." Shinji said to himself looking down over the city. He didn't know how high he was but it felt like he was looking down at an aerial photograph of the city. With it being night and the street lamps on it was like he was looking down on the stars until he looked up and saw the stars and the moon above.

"No time for sight seeing." The ring had said. "Time for training."

"Where shall we do it?" He asked.

"Over there in the mountains."

Then without warning he could feel a tug on his finger almost like someone was pulling at it. He looked and soon realized that the ring was leading the way on its own. It was leading him down towards a wooded hill just south of Tokyo-3. At first it seemed like Shinji was about to crash but the ring had slowed down and allowed him to land onto a grassy clearing among the trees.

"What will the training entail?" Shinji asked the ring.

"You will be learning how to create constructs with the ring."

"Constructs?"

"Do you remember the battle with the Angel and you created a battering ram?"

"Yes. But I didn't know how I did that."

"What you did by instinct others do by design."

"Others? You mean there are more Green Lanterns?"

"Yes, but that is not important right now. Concentrate on using the ring. Start with something simple. Try a sphere."

Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated on a sphere. He opened his eyes and there in front of him was a green sphere connected by a green tendril of light that flowed from the ring.

"Very good. Now a cube."

Once again he concentrated on a cube.

He did it again and again he found that he had created a cube out of the green light.

"Let's try for something more complex." The ring instructed. "Try chopping down a tree with a construct."

Shinji concentrated hard upon an axe, the length of the shaft, the blade, its weight, and its sharpness.

Just like the sphere and the cube he found the green axe. He took hold of it and felt it as solid as if he were holding a real one. Feeling immense pride that he had come so far with this training in only a few short minutes he went to the base of the tree and took a swing at it but something went wrong as the axe came down the light had shattered as if it were glass and did not make a single dent or scratch in the tree.

He looked at the tree then back at the ring.

"Do not be discouraged." The ring said. "Try again."

He remade the construct and took another whack. This time he did make a small dent in the tree. But not much.

"Do not concentrate on it making any kind progress cut." The ring said. "Imagine the axe going through the tree. Remember, the green light is the light of will. Will is the precursor to any action. You must _will_ the tree to be cut."

With a twinge of frustration, Shinji materialized the construct again. He looked at the tree and imagined it falling from a single slice. He held onto the axe, brought it way back into its preparation for the onslaught and brought it down in one swift motion. But he didn't feel a thing. At first he thought that the construct had failed but the axe was still in his hand. He looked back at the tree and found that it was still standing.

"Damn." He said and gave the tree a swift punch.

That was when he heard a great creaking. He looked and saw that the tree was shaking and shimmying. Its branches were rustling as if it was in a high wind until it started falling backward and then down, down, down to the ground where it made a great crash.

"Holy shit…" Shinji uttered.

"Good work." The ring praised. "That will be enough training for tonight. But we must come out every night so that we may train your mind to create constructs. The plan is that once your mind is trained enough you will be able to create a construct of a human body. Once that is done you may use it as a decoy to avert attention and suspicion from you."

"Gotcha." Shinji said. "Now let's get back home."

Shinji slept soundly that night knowing that if the ring can make any kind of construct for any purpose then the answer to the problem is very simple.

The next morning Shinji woke up feeling a little more chipper than last night. He made a little extra at breakfast for himself and Misato who woke up looking like she was recovering from a hangover since her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was tangled and messy.

"Morning, Misato." Shinji smiled.

"Good morning." Misato said rather listless as she sat down and actually drank a can of beer.

Shinji didn't pay it any mind. He simply went on eating breakfast and as soon as he was finished Misato had stopped him.

"Shinji…" She said.

"Yes?"

"I…um…" Her eyes looked down at the table. "I want to…"

"Misato, you know I have school today so let's get a move on with this."

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry, okay?" She snapped before becoming downcast again. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for yesterday."

"Its okay, Misato." Shinji said. "It is part of your job to maintain authority."

"It's not about that." Misato shook her head. "It's about me slapping you and telling you to think about the ones you leave behind if you die."

"It's no problem." Shinji smiled.

"But at least let me make it up to you. I'll cook tonight."

Shinji raised an eyebrow knowing how bad Misato can be in the kitchen but he didn't want to compound the situation by turning her down.

"Okay then."

"Alright!" Misato smiled.

That day at school, Shinji had greeted Toji and Kensuke who were glad that Shinji was alright. They told him that they were chewed out, hard, for going out of the shelter and being involved in the Eva battle. Shinji had to smile at it because it sounded a little like what he had to face when he met up with Misato after the battle. But after that school life had gone on normally as one would have expected.

Although, there was still something that started to nag at Shinji's mind. Rei Ayanami. Her days of coming into class were still as sporadic as ever but when she came into class that day she was completely free of her bandages. Just to see her without the bandages was like pulling back the curtain that was covering up a view and finally seeing what was beyond it. That was the reason that Shinji had found himself staring at her every now and then. Even during gym class when the boys were doing basketball and track while the girls were up at the pool.

Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke were sitting on the sidelines looking up at the girls at the pool and staring like they were pinups in a porn magazine.

"Man, they all have such nice tits." Toji commented.

Some of the girls had noticed them staring and started giving out cat calls.

"Perverts!"

"Gross!"

All the while Shinji kept looking at Rei who was sitting curled up in her swimsuit against the chain link fence. In a way it reminded Shinji of grade school back in the U.S. where he would be usually the kid that was last picked for everything. At least in the first years before his dad started helping him out in physical training. But being alone in that corner, Shinji knew was such an isolating feeling. That was when he wondered if Rei was there of her own choice or because of her peers.

"Hey, big shot." Toji called.

Shinji turned to see a rather evil grin on Toji's face.

"Who're you staring at so intently?" He asked.

"At Rei Ayanami." Shinji answered.

"Oh yeah. At Rei's tits. Rei's thighs. Rei's calves."

"Calves?" Shinji asked with a cocked eyebrow. "Of all the body parts of a woman you think of calves?"

"Well, what else should be included?" Kensuke asked.

"What about the ass?" Shinji asked. "Back where I'm from we sometimes call that a badonkadonk."

"A what?" Toji asked.

"Badonkadonk. It means a very nice rounded ass." Shinji explained as his hands mimicked the shape of that area of anatomy. "In other words, baby got back! But that's not what I was thinking about with Rei. I was just wondering why she's always alone."

"Come to think of it she hasn't had any friends since she started here back in the seventh grade." Toji said.

"There's just something about her that makes it difficult for anyone to talk to her. Almost like she's in her own world."

"She probably just has a lousy personality." Kensuke concluded. "But you two are both Eva pilots so you should know her better than us."

"I suppose but we don't talk."

He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something oddly familiar about Rei. That she knew her from a very long time ago.

That night back home, Misato was busy in the kitchen. To Shinji's complete lack of surprise he found a box of instant curry, ramen and a few other items that she was busy working with. And keeping in with her true style she was wearing her pink tank top and cut-off shorts.

"I'm home." Shinji called out as he changed out of his street shoes.

"Welcome home." Misato called out from the kitchen. "Oh Shinji, I should tell you that Ritsuko is coming for dinner as well."

That was when Shinji felt a great swell of pity in his throat for Ritsuko coming to dinner.

"What is this stuff?" Ritsuko cried out in revulsion as Shinji was serving dinner.

"It's curry." Misato explained.

"You mean you're _still_ eating this instant junk?"

"Hey, you're a guest so you've got no right to complain."

Shinji was about to serve some to Misato but he observed that she had no plate or at least there was an overturned small plate. She then took it off to reveal a large cup of Green Onion Roast Pork Ramen. She opened it up and presented it to Shinji.

"Slop some of that stuff onto this stuff." She smiled.

"You're kidding, right?" Shinji asked.

"Trust me it's delicious." Misato pleaded.

Shinji shrugged and poured the curry into the ramen cup.

"Ordinary curry flavored ramen can't taste as good as this." She reveled as she stirred the noodles with her chopsticks. "The trick is to put less hot water in so it forms a sludge."

She began eating the ramen noodles with the look of a kid enjoying the best candy on the face of the earth. On the other hand, Shinji and Misato took one bite of the curry and developed the same look as someone biting into a lemon.

"Misato cooked, didn't she?" Ritsuko asked.

"You can tell?" Misato asked with a full mouth.

"Of course…" Ritsuko said. "Next time you invite me please be sure it's Shinji's turn to cook."

Shinji then looked over at their pet, Pen-pen, who took a taste of the instant curry as well and fell over like a tree being cut down. Shinji looked back at the "dinner party" and saw that Ritsuko had witnessed Pen-pen's revulsion as well.

"You know, Shinji," she began, "you should consider moving out. You shouldn't let one bad roommate spoil your life."

"I'm fine with it." Shinji smiled.

"He's right, Ritsuko." Misato agreed after taking a sip of her beer. "Never underestimate the ability of the human animal to adapt. Besides if he does move he'd have to go through an awful lot of red tape. He did just get his permanent security card."

"Oh yes! That's right." Ritsuko blurted as she dug through her purse. "Shinji I need a favor. Could you give this to Rei before you go into headquarters? It's her new security card."

She handed Shinji a similar plastic card like the one that he had been given.

"Sure, I'll give it to her." He said as he took the card and took a moment to look at the picture on it. She had that same blank and blasé expression like there was nothing in the world that could make her frown or smile. That was when he found himself staring further because there was something about the shape of her face and the style of her hair that was so damn familiar.

"You're staring at Rei's picture aren't you?" Misato asked in a derisive tone like a child calling out the rhyme of two kids kissing in a tree.

"I was?" Shinji asked.

"Oh yes, you were Shinji." Misato grinned. "Now you've got an excuse to go over to Rei's place, don't you?"

"What? Are you jealous that I go for younger women?" Shinji smirked.

"WHAT?" Misato bellowed.

Shinji giggled, "Gotcha. You're so fun to tease."

"Looks like you met your match, Misato." Ritsuko observed.

"But it is strange that we're both Eva pilots but I know so little about her." Shinji stated.

"She is a nice girl." Ritsuko told. "But she is like Commander Ikari. She's just not very adept."

"Adept? At what?"

"Living."

After cleaning up the dishes and Ritsuko had headed home Shinji went back to his room where he had unpacked all of the boxes that had been sent to him from home. Among them was a fairly new and advanced laptop. His mother and father told him that he should stay in touch but instead of calling international he should simply use the internet.

He was given both Hal's and Carol's IM names but he wasn't entirely sure what the time would be back home in Coast City. If he were to venture a guess it was probably morning. Carol would definitely be up but Hal would be another issue entirely.

He connected to the apartment buildings' Wi-Fi and logged on and sure enough there was Carol's IM name in the online status.

A message popped-up.

CarolF1062: Shinji! There you are! How are you? Are you well?

Shinji smiled knowing his mother was still acting like a mother.

ShinjiJ0601: I'm fine, mom. I know I should have done this earlier but unpacking and school has been nuts.

CarolF1062: Its okay, Shinji. Just as long as you're fine.

ShinjiJ0601: Yup. Things are fine now that I'm with Misato Katsuragi.

CarolF1062: Oh yes. How is Misato treating you?

ShinjiJ0601: She's a little like dad. Just tonight she was eating instant ramen with instant curry poured over it.

CarolF1062: She's still doing that? How disgusting! She's the same as ever. It's a good thing you were taught how to cook or you'd be in a real mess.

ShinjiJ0601: Yup. Hey, is dad around? I need to talk to him about something he gave me.

CarolF1062: Just a second.

He only waited for a couple of minutes but then Hal's screen name came up.

HalJordan1059: Hey kid. How's it going?

ShinjiJ0601: Never better, dad. I wanted to thank you for that gift you gave me before I left.

HalJordan1059:Has it been working for you?

ShinjiJ0601: Works like a dream.

HalJordan1059: Keep practicing with it. Your mother and I hope we'll be able to visit Japan soon. But you know how work is at Ferris-Jordan Aircraft, right?

ShinjiJ0601: No rest of the wicked. That's what you always say.

HalJordan1059: Damn right. Anyway, you best get to bed must be getting late.

ShinjiJ0601: Yeah. Talk to you later, dad. Love you.

HalJordan1059: You too, Shinji.

And Hal Jordan had gone offline.

ShinjiJ0601: Good night, mom. Talk to you later. Love you.

CarolF1062: I love you too, Shinji.

And Carol Ferris had gone offline.

Doctor Akagi had given Shinji Rei's address but he kept double checking the paper and the location that he found himself in. The area seemed like it was ready to be torn down. The street had more cracks in it than a dried mud puddle. There were broken windows in the apartment complexes. Even the concrete for the buildings themselves were cracked.

Added to the dreary atmosphere of this part of the city was the continuous sound of the nearby construction equipment that went on a rhythmic and slow bang.

BANG…BANG….BANG…BANG

After hearing it for the first few times Shinji could already feel an oncoming headache like a sensitive nerve in a tooth that had been bitten down too hard but he had to continue on because he did volunteer. And there was the added admittance that he found it an opportunity to fulfill his curiosity about Rei.

Her apartment was number 402 and just like the rest of the apartment complex the place was in such disarray with empty plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, and wrappers at the edges and near the water drains.

He also looked at Rei's door, particularly at the mail slot that was stuffed full of letters and junk mail.

"If NERV cares so much for its pilots they should move Ayanami to better housing." Shinji thought to himself as he rang the doorbell.

But there was no answer.

He knocked but there was still no answer.

As a last ditch effort he reached out to the doorknob and amazingly enough the door was unlocked.

"That's odd." He thought to himself.

There was the issue that what he would do could be called breaking and entering but his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the door and entered.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone home? Miss Ayanami? It's me, Shinji Jordan."

He took off his shoes and stepped through the apartment finding it to be just like the rest of the apartment complex: poorly kept. The sink was full of dishes, the walls were drab and gray, and in her bedroom her clothes were scattered across the bed along with bloody bandages in a cardboard box in a corner with a refrigerator. The curtains to the main window were pulled over just enough to allow one streak of light to come through and fall upon the floor in front of the refrigerator.

"Is this really a girls' apartment?" Shinji thought. "Makes me think of my dad's garage."

He walked over to the chest of drawers and found a pair of glasses. He picked them up and looked at them. They had a gold frame to them and the lenses were cracked.

"They can't be Rei's." He thought as he heard a sound behind him.

Turning around he found her, Rei Ayanami, and she was naked except for a brown towel that was draped around her neck. And just like all the other times and encounters that he had with her in passing she just looked at him as if she were just staring at the wall. Until she looked at his hands. That was when she developed a disapproving scowl. She walked over to him.

"Rei, this isn't what it looks like." Shinji said as Rei tried to grab the glasses out of his hands.

While she was pulling at it, Shinji tried to back himself up but his socks slipped against the slick floor. At first he toppled backward and the strap of his back caught on the corner of the open top drawer. He fell forward onto Rei and the strap yanked the drawer out and along with it bras, panties and socks flew everywhere like New Year's confetti.

It was one of the longer moments that Shinji had experienced – next to sitting in the dentist chair and the long pinch of the Novocain needle. Rei was on her back staring up at him and he was on his hands and knees above her. He even noticed that one of his hands was upon one of her breasts. That was when he began to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Rei asked without any emotion.

"This is so wrong." Shinji explained.

"What's wrong about it?"

"I'm still dressed."

"Would you get off me?"

Shinji climbed up to his knees and then to his feet and turned to face the corner to give Rei some privacy.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Doctor Akagi asked me to give you your new security card. You didn't answer the door and it was unlocked so I let myself in."

It seemed very strange to Shinji that even though she was basically naked in front of him and that he copped himself a feel on Rei that she had given no protest or any kind of shock. Did she just not care? Or did she experience something like this before?

He turned around and found that Rei had already dressed herself and was about to head to the door. He stepped up his speed so that he would catch up with her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card.

Presenting it to her he said, "Here's the new card. You're old one won't work."

She looked at it, then at him and back at the card. She grabbed it and headed out the door.

"Your welcome." Shinji grimaced.

**Next time:**

Misato's voice: A new Angel arrives in Tokyo-3 that seems almost invincible as it drills its way down into Tokyo-3. Shinji tries to fight it but before the fight even begins a burst of light shoots from the Angel. Will this be Shinji's last fight?

Carol's voice: Please pull through, Shinji.

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 5 – Green Shinji**


	5. Chapter 5

"_Payback is a bitch."_

- Unknown

Chapter 5: Green Shinji

Shinji walked through NERV headquarters just fuming about what happened with Rei Ayanami. Not so much the nudity viewing but by the fact that she was so cold to him after giving the new security card. It did occur to him that she was probably cold because Shinji had seen her body but if that were true she would have said something instead of acting like nothing had happened.

He scratched his head in confusion because of how hard it was to understand her. But it was as his father had once told him:

_A man's test in life is a woman and women can be confusing because our handicap as men is that we have a need to make sense. _

Shinji had to give a small laugh at that because of how true it was to this particular situation.

And no one could have known about the approaching enemy until an announcement came over the PA system.

"WOULD THE PILOT OF UNIT ONE PLEASE REPORT TO UNIT ONE'S CAGE? REPEAT. WOULD THE PILOT OF UNIT ONE PLEASE REPORT TO UNIT ONE'S CAGE?"

"On my way." Shinji whispered.

The Fifth Angel that was approaching Tokyo-3 was shaped like a two pyramids attached at their bases or as mathematicians would have called it an "octahedron". Its surface was as smooth and polished as a mirror in its reflection of the blue sky above and the empty city below. If there were any civilians left in the city they would have stared in awe of the sheer size of the object and at the fact that the thing was floating in mid-air like a UFO out of a sci-fi movie.

Inside the cage where Unit One was locked, Shinji was already suited up and inside the entry plug. He was going through the launch preparations with the same mechanical efficiency as a calculator. Push one button here at the right moment and another one at the right time and everything is fine. The way Shinji thought of it was comparable to being an airline pilot: going through all the checks and making sure everything is clear for take-off. Only here there won't be an in-flight movie or meal.

"Evangelion Unit One ready for launch." Shinji reported.

"EVA LAUNCH!" Misato ordered.

From within the Angel a building glow was amassing at one of its edges. It grew brighter and brighter like the sun coming over the tip of a mountain at dawn.

"We're detecting a high energy reaction in the target!" An operator called out.

"What'd you say?" Misato demanded.

"The circumference is accelerating!" The operator answered. "It's converging on itself."

"SHINJI DUCK!" Misato cried out.

Shinji's reaction time was too long for the Angel had fired a bright purple beam upon the Eva after it had emerged from its underground base. The beam burst through and liquefied one of the buildings as if it was made of wax and it hit the unguarded Eva in its chest. The sheer heat melted through the armor.

And all Shinji could do was scream at least for a moment.

"Major!" One of the operators called out. "We're detecting a new energy signature around the Eva."

"Is it the Angel?" Misato asked.

"Negative. Its code pattern is unknown. But it's building."

The purple beam continued to melt through the Eva's chest armor as if it were a plasma cutter melting its way through hardened steel. But then it was blocked by a shield of green light. It popped out in front of the Eva's chest like an error message on a computer screen.

"The unknown energy is blocking the Angel's attack." The operator reported.

"Retrieve it!" Misato demanded. "HURRY!"

"Roger. Retracting the Eva now."

The Eva sunk back into the ground along the route it was launched from and both the purple beam from the Angel and the green wall of light had disappeared.

"What's Shinji's status?" Misato asked.

"He's alive." One of the operators reported. "But the pilot's brainwaves are very erratic. His life readings are very weak."

"Increase power to the life support systems and give him a heart massage." Misato ordered.

One of the operators punched in the codes that sent the order to the Eva.

"Pulse confirmed." The operator stated.

"Eject the entry plug."

"Roger."

Misato headed over to an elevator. "I'm heading down to the Eva's cage. Take over for me, Ritsuko."

"Got it." Ritsuko said.

Misato was running as fast as her legs and high heels could allow. She arrived at the cage feeling her heart thumping against her head when she found that Shinji had already been removed from the Entry Plug. She looked in horror when she saw that his eyes were closed, his mouth was open and blood was dripping down his nose.

"Shinji…" She whispered as she accompanied him on his stretcher to the hospital ward.

The stretcher passed the twin double doors and Misato stayed outside as she watched the operators cut and strip Shinji of his plug suit and set him into the medical containment device. She turned around and found Rei Ayanami standing near the doors and looking in on Shinji's condition. After smiling at Rei she dashed down the hall and back to the Operations' Control Room.

Shinji lay unconscious inside the medical containment unit hooked up to the machines that monitored every kind of status that the human body could produce. Heart beat. Blood pressure. Brain waves. Kidney function. And so on. With no nurses or other operators around the time was right for the move to be made.

A small green glow had emerged from Shinji's right hand. It enveloped his entire body until he looked as green as broccoli. Then the light began to move off of his body and in the shape of his body as if it were a copy that was being moved by an unknown hand.

The Green Shinji looked back at the sleeping version.

"Time for a little payback." It said as it vanished in a puff of lime smoke.

On a hill far to the east of Tokyo-3 the Green version of Shinji had appeared and landed. This version of him was dressed in the Eva plugsuit but it was different in that it had the lantern symbol on his chest where the numbers 01 once were. He saw the 5th Angel from a distance floating above the city but it also saw something beneath it or rather coming from its underside. Holding up his hand a sphere of energy appeared before it morphed itself into a pair of binoculars.

Looking through them the Green Shinji saw that the thing coming from the underside of the Angel was a long drill bit.

"So…" Green Shinji uttered. "You're going to attack NERV that way huh? Drill baby, drill. Heh. But not for long."

He took one step forward towards the Angel. That was when a light erupted from the Angel. Another beam had fired upon the hillside but the Green Shinji was quicker. He was floating high above the blast zone.

"So I'm violating your territorial bubble, am I?" Green Shinji asked. "In that case. I'll fight sniping with sniping."

Setting himself upon a different hill outside of the Angel's firing range Green Shinji had set himself down. He raised his hands and a mass of green light had emerged and formed together like the blobs of wax inside a lava lamp until it formed a long barreled rifle. Then again it was unlike any rifle on Earth since it was abnormally long with support struts all down the barrel all the way to the trigger while scope and the barrel were all aimed at the Angel.

"I won't hold back, you bastard." Green Shinji uttered. "I'm going to use all the power I have left in this one charge and that should be enough."

Putting himself into position and setting the crosshairs right at the heart of the Angel's geometric construction.

"This is for Shinji." He said as he pulled the trigger.

At the gun's muzzle there were dots of green light swirling round and round like crazed fireflies while a sphere began to grow bigger and brighter in the middle of it all until at last it was released in a single thin beam that headed straight for the Angel. With the beam fired, the gun, along with Green Shinji, were pulled into the beams wake like smoke being sucked by a vacuum hose.

The Angel's AT field went up at first but the beam broke through it until the field looked like a shattered glass window. The beam continued through and burst out the other side like a bullet through an apple and blood spurt outward and downward onto the streets of Tokyo-3.

And the Angel was defeated.

"What did you say?" Misato demanded.

"It's as we said." Ritsuko repeated. "The Angel has been defeated."

"How?"

"We don't know. We detected a small power spike in the mountains just outside of the Angel's firing range and then the target went silent. We suspect that it might have something to do with that green energy we detected but it's like last time our instruments couldn't detect it even though it was right in front of our eyes."

Misato shrugged. "Well at least that's one less Angel to deal with."

"But it still leaves the question of that green light." Ritsuko reiterated. "Wasn't it _your_ job to find out if the pilot knows anything about it?"

"I asked him and he says he doesn't know. What'd you want me to do? Torture him?"

"No need to get snippy with me, Captain." Ritsuko sneered.

"Sorry." Misato said bowing her head. "It's just that we came close to losing Shinji today."

"I know. He's a valuable asset."

"I mean him as a person."

Shinji woke up looking at a very sterile ceiling. His mouth felt so dry that he could actually feel the individual taste buds scraping against the roof of his mouth while his lips were dry and a little cracked. He looked around and saw Rei Ayanami sitting in a chair near the door.

"You're awake." She said.

"Am I still alive?" Shinji asked.

"Yes." Rei answered.

That was when everything came flooding back. All the neurons in his head fired. He sat bolt upright throwing off the bed sheet.

"The Angel." He said. "What about the Angel?"

"The Angel has been defeated." Rei reported.

"By you?"

"No. The circumstances of the Angel's defeat are still under investigation. The only information that is available is that an unknown energy source had fired upon the Angel, broken through the AT field and destroyed its core. The source of the energy has not been found."

"Weird." Shinji said settling back against the bed. Looking at Rei he saw something about her that seemed so off. A girl the same age as him, piloting the Eva and yet having such a bland attitude almost like it wasn't important at all.

"You know, there's something I'd like to ask you." Shinji asked.

"What?"

"Why do you pilot the Eva?"

"I do because I have nothing else."

"Odd answer." Shinji shrugged. "I also heard that you're around Commander Ikari a lot, right?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"He's important to me."

"Is he?" Shinji asked sounding a little suspicious.

"Captain Katsuragi is on her way," Rei reported. "You may wish to cover up if you're going to address her."

Shinji looked down confused by why she said that and found out that he was completely naked. Blushing red he brought the bed sheet back over himself.

"Well, I suppose that makes us even." Shinji assessed.

"Even?" Rei asked.

"Well, I saw you nude inappropriately and now you've seen me. I'd say that's fair."

"I do not understand."

Shinji smiled and shook his head. "You're very strange, Rei. But I like you because you're honest."

"I…" Rei looked confused. "I do not know how to respond to that."

"You could smile."

She looked at him for a moment. Her expression was frozen as if her face was carved out of pure ivory but then a very magical thing happened. Her frozen expression had melted away to a simple, warm and pleasant smile.  
>"You see?" Shinji said. "You should smile more often. It looks good on you."<p>

The door opened and there was Misato standing there. She was huffing and puffing like she had run the mile and in high heels no less as Shinji observed. After catching her breath she looked at Rei then at Shinji.

"Great to see you back among the living." She said.

"Nice to be back as well."

That night back at Shinji and Misato's apartment the mood was rather silent but then again it had been a hectic day for them both. So they both ate and had their baths and went to bed.

Shinji on the other hand had other plans.  
>He looked at the door, even took a peek outside of it to make sure that no one was there. Despite all that Misato had done for Shinji there was still the fear and anxiety of being caught with the kind of secret he had. He looked at the ring, clenched his fist but nothing happened.<p>

"Ring." He asked in his mind. "What's wrong?"

"Ring power down to one percent." The ring responded into his mind's ear. "Please charge immediately."

Shinji went over to his bed and pulled out the cloth bundle of his shirt where the Lantern was hidden. Unwrapping it he placed the ring against its face. There was a flash of green light and once again Shinji found himself dressed in the Green Lantern's uniform. Giving it concentrate the uniform retracted back into the ring and then the question was asked.

"Ring," Shinji asked, "did you have something to do with the Angel being defeated?"

"Yes," the Ring answered. "A construct of you was created and the remaining power of the ring was used to defeat the Angel."

"And you did this without my command?"

"No. Your subconscious mind made the command."

"It did?"

"Yes. It seems your subconscious already can create a construct of a human body but your conscious mind still needs training."

"I understand. Thank you. But please don't do anything like that without my instruction. Understand?"

"Understood."

A few days later…

Shinji was sitting down to breakfast which involved a little toast and black coffee while Pen-Pen was swallowing a few fish that Shinji had grilled for him. He did feel somewhat tired from the training that his ring had been giving him for the past couple of days. He would go out at night for a couple hours on weekdays but on the weekend Shinji would claim to Misato that he was going out for a walk or going to the library to study but the truth of it was that he was going to the mountains to train with his ring. He couldn't help but smile at himself seeing how far he had come in only a few days.

He also had a certain amount of extra determination when he had learned the truth about Second Impact. He found out that it wasn't a meteorite that crashed into the Antarctic. Instead, he found out that Misato's father and Misato herself were part of a scientific team that was exploring something they found there. It turned out to be the first Angel and for reasons unknown the Angel exploded and that was the cause of Second Impact.

Misato's door opened and there she was with shaggy hair and still looking sleepy while she scratched her exposed midriff.

"Good Morning." Shinji smiled.

Misato gave a very audible and long yawn before she said, "Morning."

She then went to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer and took a few long gulps.

"Yeah!" She said followed by a small burp. "That's the way to start your morning."  
>"And what's wrong with coffee?" Shinji asked.<p>

"Don't you know that a traditional Japanese breakfast includes Miso Soup, Steamed Rice, and a little sake?" Misato asked in response.

"Actually I do." Shinji stated. "And you're drinking beer not sake. And what's included in a traditional Japanese breakfast is grilled fish."

Misato was already developing an annoyed look.

"And by the way," Shinji added, "whose turn was it to cook this morning?"

That was when Misato developed a look of a kid who was trying to fib their way out of a broken lamp in the living room.

"It's pretty easy to see why you're still single, Misato." Shinji said sounding very arrogant.

"Well excuse me for being coarse. That's just who I am." Misato said in her defense.

"As well as lazy and sloppy." Shinji punctuated.

"Oh, just leave me alone." Misato pouted but then grinned.

While Shinji was washing the dishes there was a question that he had to ask.

"So you're really coming to my school, today?"

"Of course." Misato said. "It's your parent-teacher meeting. And Hal and Carol did ask me to be your guardian while you're in Japan."

"Yup, they did." Shinji said. "You'll have to tell me sometime how you know my parents."

"I will. They did say that they were hoping to visit Japan maybe then we can swap stories. By the way, I should tell you we'll be receiving Eva Unit Two and its pilot soon."

"Really?" Shinji asked. "Where from?"

"From Europe." Misato explained. "And the pilot is about your age as well."

"Oh. Hope he'll do well."

"The pilot is actually a girl. But you'll find out when you meet her."

Just then the phone rang.

Misato answered, "Hi! Oh, hey you two. Yes, Shinji is just getting ready. I'll let you in."

Shinji turned around and saw that this was all part of Misato's routine especially with the two that were coming to the door. She would wear rather skimpy clothes and basically tease the eyes of the ones at the door. Shinji certainly did get an eyeful each morning with how low her shirts were cut. But it was pretty easy to see how large her breasts were. Added to that were her cut-off shorts that showed off how curvy her legs were.

Slipping on his bag, he went to the door where the bell rang. The door opened and there was Toji Suzahara and Kensuke Aida.

"Good Morning, Shinji. And Misato." They said in happy unison. "We're taking off now."

"Have a good day." Misato called out waving out a hand around the corner.

Both Toji and Kensuke looked down the hall like two starving men staring at a pack of peanuts and just waiting to tear open the package and taste the salty goodness.

Shinji giggled. "Come on you two."

Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke arrived in class and went to their respective seats. Thankfully they arrived with about thirty minutes to spare before class would start. In Shinji's bag he had his lunch box but he also prepared a second one that he hoped wouldn't go to waste today.

And it wouldn't.

For the door opened and in walked Rei Ayanami.

"Oh, Rei!" Shinji called out as he went to his bag and pulled out the second lunch box.

Walking up to her desk he set it down in front of her.

"I saw that you don't have lunch like everyone else so I prepared a second one for you." He explained.

Rei looked up at him and with a small blush in her pale cheeks she muttered a very shy "Thank you."

"No problem." Shinji smiled.

That was when there was a loud noise coming from outside. It was a sound that Shinji recognized as a car. Curious he went to the window and saw that the car was a blue Renault Alpine A310. Shinji knew this because it was Misato's car and she took pride in it despite how many times it had been scratched up. The car came into the school parking lot at breakneck speed until it took a sharp one-hundred-eighty degree turn into an empty parking spot.

Shinji felt two people shoving him aside and saw that it was Kensuke and Toji.

"Yeah! She really came!" Toji cried out.

And Misato stepped out of the car looking very well dressed and walked up to the school like a supermodel on a catwalk. Shinji knew that she had to be showing off given how he looked around and saw that all of his male classmates were at the window and ogling her like a calendar girl or a Playboy centerfold.

"Is she Jordan's guardian?" One of them asked.

"What? He's living with a babe like that?" Another asked.

"Man, that is so unfair." Another moaned.

But of course back in the classroom, the Class Representative Hikari had to comment to herself by calling them all, "Horny idiots."

"Man, Misato is so gorgeous." Toji commented. "Hard to believe that she's NERV's Operations Director. She should be in movies."

"_Porn movies,_ you mean?" Shinji asked.

This caused Toji to blush rather brightly.

"Hey Toji." Kensuke said as he was filming Misato walking up to the school. "Do you think Shinji is a rival for us?"

"Hell no. He's got no shot with Misato." Toji agreed.

"Oh yeah?" Shinji said. "That's not what she said last night."

"WHAT?!" Toji cried. "What'd she say?"

"I don't know but she was screaming my name a lot while she was scratching her nails down my back." Shinji said rubbing his chin.

"SHE WHAT!?" Toji and Kensuke cried out in unison with tears welling in their eyes.

"Gotcha." Shinji smirked.

"You are too cruel, Shinji." Toji pouted.

"But you two should have seen your faces." Shinji said. "I only wish I had my own camera so I could have filmed that."

Both of them went back to the window and found that Misato was nowhere to be seen.

"Man, I wish Misato were my girlfriend." Toji said clasping his hands and closing his eyes.

"You wish." Shinji chided.

"Tell you what, Shinji. You can handle keeping the Earth safe and I'll take care of Misato."

Toji gave Shinji a friendly slap on the back.

"Sure." Shinji said as he went back to his seat.

**Next time:**

Carol's voice: Get ready to meet Eva Unit Two and its pilot as they head towards Japan. Can Shinji handle this obnoxious redhead? Or has the ship really hit the fan? And to make things worse they're under attack by an underwater angel. If I had my way Shinji would be with a nicer girl than that obnoxious brat.

Misato: If you're going to do my job then stick to the script, damn it!

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 6 – Asuka Strikes and Shinji Strikes Back**


	6. Chapter 6

"Not sure about redheads. Dreadful temper."

- James Bond

Chapter 6: Asuka Strikes and Shinji Strikes Back

Somewhere South East of the shores of New Yokosuka (Old Odawara) Captain Misato Katsuragi had taken Shinji Jordan, Toji Suzahara and Kensuke Aida on a small "date". It basically entailed taking a MIG-55 D Transport Helicopter (as Kensuke had so gleefully pointed out to Shinji and Toji) out to the ocean where there were five aircraft carriers and four battleships. It was another thing that Kensuke had taken such joyful glee when he saw them. It became even more-so when they landed upon the Super-aircraft carrier "Over the Rainbow". He panned the camera all around looking at the aircrafts, guns, and other military equipment.

Shinji had observed that he was pretty much like a kid in a candy store. Probably the one thing that would have made him even happier would be if he was allowed to pilot one of the airplanes but of course the chances of that would be none to negative. Toji on the other hand was happy by the fact that he was allowed to come on this trip with Misato. He even bought a stripped cap for the occasion that he so proudly proclaimed would never take off.

It did occur to Shinji how odd the situation was that Misato and Shinji were going on this military operation to deliver the power cable for the arriving Unit Two and yet here they were bringing along civilians on it as if were a school field trip. He quietly smirked at his own observation when he thought that all they needed was a packed lunch.

On the deck of Over The Rainbow there was a good strong wind blowing. So much so that it blew off Toji's special cap that he was chasing like a parent after their child at an amusement park.

"Stop damn you!" He kept calling.

Until at last, the cap landed at the feet of someone. Toji was glad until one of the persons feet had lifted and stomped down on the cap.

Shinji was watching the event unfold in front of him when Toji developed an annoyed look and tried to grab at the cap that was being held down onto the flight deck by a girl in a yellow sundress. Giving her a better look, Shinji did see that she was rather cute with her red hair that flowed down to the center of her back. She had blue eyes very similar to Shinji if only a few shades brighter. Her expression was slightly arrogant with the way that she grinned as if she were saying to the world "I'm always right because I'm so super and you're all so stupid."

The only peculiar thing that Shinji had noticed right away was the fact that at the top of her head where her hair was tied up there were a pair of red sync nodes that looked as though they were being used as hair clips.

"Why hell-o, Misato." The girl in the yellow sundress said.

"Been a long time, Asuka." Misato greeted in return. "My you've grown."  
>"Ah-huh." The girl named Asuka answered. "And I'm not just taller my figure has filled out too."<p>

"Let me introduce you." Misato presented. "This is the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit Two. The Second Child. Asuka Langley Sohryu."

Then just as if it was on cue a good high wind blew across the flight deck and blew up the hem of Asuka's yellow sundress to the point where Toji, Kensuke, and Shinji could actually see the color of her panties.

The redhead began to burst out in obscenities of German as she slapped Toji and Kensuke but when she came up to Shinji he blocked her oncoming slap as easily as catching a ball.

"You really shouldn't do that." Shinji said. "It really wasn't our fault."

"Why not? You're the pervert who was looking!" Asuka protested.

"And I'm the idiot who thought it was smart to wear a sundress on a windy flight deck?" Shinji asked.

Asuka's face fumed and she raised her other hand in a surprise slap attack across Shinji's face.

"Hey!" Toji interjected. "What'd you do that for?"

"That's my fee." Asuka stated in arrogance. "Quite a bargain if I say so myself."

"Well in that case here's mine!" Toji said as he pulled down his pants and flashed himself at Asuka.

Aghast at what she saw she began to spout German again and gave Toji a second slap across the face.

"So then, now that that's out of the way which one is the famous Third Child?" Asuka asked but she looked over at Toji whose face already had twin red hand-shaped welts on his face. "Ack nein…please don't tell me it's him."

"Its okay, Asuka." Misato smiled and pointed to Shinji. "It's him."

"This jerk?" Asuka sneered. "They say he's American but he looks Japanese to me."

"I was born in Japan but I was raised in America." Shinji corrected.

"That figures. You act like a Yankee jerk."

This girl really did get Shinji's hackles up and he answered back with, "I'd rather be an Yankee jerk than a Kraut cunt."

"Shinji!" Misato cried out.

"VAT?!" Asuka cried out as she raised her hand to slap him again until Misato stepped in between the two of them.

"Okay children." She commanded. "Let's just cool out, okay?"

"Fine." Asuka groaned.

"I'm fine with it as long as someone finds a proctologist on this ship to take the stick out of her ass." Shinji quipped.

"That's enough, Shinji." Misato said sternly.

"You still haven't changed, have you Katsuragi?" A voice called out.

"KAJI!" Asuka squealed like a fan girl at her favorite music artist.

Shinji looked back at Misato who developed a look of overwhelming dread when she looked at where the voice came from. Looking in the same direction Shinji found a rather scruffy looking man wearing a shirt that had the first few top buttons undone and a tie that was loosened a little far. He had long brown hair tied up into a shaggy pony tail. His face had a good growth of beard stubble across it. But then there was his expression that could only be described as being like a used car salesman: sneaky and sly. As if he were trying to think of a way to screw everyone over while still keeping on a pleasant "have a nice day" smile on his face.

The group had headed down to the ships' mess hall but to say that there was tension in the air would have been such a grand understatement. From what Shinji was seeing it looked like there was going to be a real smack-down about to erupt. The man named Ryoji Kaji was leaning forward and giving Misato the eye like a man trying to pick her up for a good night lay.

"So, you have a boyfriend right now?" He asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business." Misato said with a sour expression on her face while she looked off into the corner to avoid eye contact with Kaji.

"I'm hurt. Ow." Kaji feigned his pout but then turned to Shinji who was sitting on his side of the table with Asuka between the two of them. "So I understand you're living with Katsuragi."

"Yeah, I am." Shinji answered.

"Tell me is she still so wild in bed?" Kaji smirked.

All around the table everyone developed a shocked look while Misato looked like she needed air while her face was turning to the same shade as a cherry tomato.

Shinji responded in good humor. "Yeah. We nearly broke the bed last time."

"You do realize that she sleeps on the floor, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean we nearly broke through the floor into the apartment below us."

"SHINJI!" Misato cried out.

"Nope." Kaji smirked. "She hasn't changed a bit, has she Shinji Jordan?"

"How do you know who I am?" Shinji asked.

"I ought to know you." Kaji pointed out. "You're pretty famous in the defense business. The famous Third Child who piloted an Eva in his first battle with no training."

"Oh that." Shinji shrugged. "Beginners luck, I'd say."

"Luck has nothing to do with it. It's your destiny. It's your talent."

Upon hearing Kaji's praises Shinji couldn't help but notice how Asuka was giving him daggers. She had the look of a child who saw someone else with a fancy toy that she had wanted but never got.

"Asuka." Shinji pleaded. "Would you quit glaring at me? People are going to think I just broke up with you."

"Hmph!" Asuka responded turning away from him.

"Well, I will take my leave." Kaji said before excusing himself from the table.

"And I'm going with Kaji." Asuka added. "Since he's the only _real_ man on this ship."

"And you know where to find me when you get disappointed, missy." Shinji chided.

Asuka turned and stomped off muttering something in German while Misato had her hands on the sides of her head as she looked down and muttered something that sounded like "nightmare".

"So what my dad said was right." Shinji commented.

"What's that?" Toji asked.

"Redheads have a bad temper."

"You got that right."

"Though that Mister Kaji is pretty interesting."

"He hasn't changed at all that chauvinistic pig!" Misato snarled.

"Bad ex, I take it?" Shinji asked.

"You have no idea."

That was when she came back.

"Hey, Third Child."

Shinji looked over his shoulder and found Asuka with her hands on her hips and a very stern and sour expression on her face.

"You're coming with me." She commanded.

"Did Kaji disappoint you already?" Shinji humored.

"No. I have something amazing to show you."

"But you already flashed me."

Once again she spat out her German at Shinji before changing languages to say, "I want to show you _my_ superior Eva."

Asuka had taken Shinji on a short helicopter ride from the Over The Rainbow to a ship that looked to be a converted super tanker with a massive tarp covering something on its deck. All the while Asuka had such an arrogant grin on her face especially when she brought Shinji to the side of the great tarp covering and pulled it up. Shinji looked inside and found Evangelion Unit Two. He didn't see much of it but he saw that it was red all over.

"Interesting color." He said.

"That's not all that's different about Unit Two." She said as she led Shinji inside to get a closer look at the machine. The thing was submerged in a pink liquid that Shinji had seen before with his Unit One back home. He stood on a makeshift bridge that was basically wooden planks set on top of empty barrels that acted as floatation devices while Asuka climbed up onto the Eva and stood proudly like she was the Queen of the Hill.

"Unit Zero and One were the prototype and test type respectively." Asuka began. "The fact that Unit One synchronized with an untrained pilot like you is proof of that. However, Unit Two is a little different. _My_ Unit Two is the world's real first Evangelion. Designed for actual combat it's the final production model!"

"Cool." Shinji said sounding very uninterested. "By the way, is it lonely up there on your pedestal, Asuka?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Asuka shrieked as she climbed down from Unit Two. She stomped her way up to Shinji and looked him in the eye and shoved her finger into his chest as she said. "_Say that again_."

"I asked if it was lonely up there on your pedestal, Asuka." Shinji repeated. "Or did you want me to ask if it's dark with your head up your ass."

She raised her hand once again but before she could deliver the blow there was a great explosion followed by the ship rocking and the gangplank shaking back and forth.

"What the hell was that?" Shinji asked.

"Undersea shockwaves." Asuka assessed. "And pretty close by the sound of it."

They dashed from where Unit 02 was being held to the guard rail on the ships deck. They looked out and saw one ship explode in a plume of purple smoke followed by a series of waves as if something underneath was moving.

"So it's an Angel." Shinji observed.

"A real one?" Asuka asked.

"I'm afraid so."

That was when Asuka grinned like a mad scientist as she looked back at the tarp that covered Unit Two.

"Wunderva." She uttered to herself. "Now's my chance."

She then turned to Shinji and said, "Wait here."

She then dashed away as if she were running the hundred meter dash. Her yellow sundress flailing in the wind and the sharp motions of her legs and within a matter of moments she came back with a red bag that had the numbers "02" on the side. She then yanked Shinji by the hand and took him back inside where Eva Unit Two was being stored.

Back inside the storage area she stopped on the makeshift bridge.

"Turn around, Third Child." She ordered. "And don't peek or you're dead."

Shinji shook his head as turned around. This whole thing was pissing him off. There was an Angel attack going on outside and yet this obnoxious German redhead was ordering him around.

He then heard a few noises coming from behind him. There was the rumpling of cloth, the pulling of a zipper, and the sound of plastic against plastic. He turned his head and for a flash he saw Asuka changing clothes into something resembled his plugsuit. In the next flash Asuka glared at him and cried out.

"Don't peek! You pervert!"

"And if it was Kaji?" Shinji asked turning his head away from her.

"That's none of your business!" Asuka cried out.

She pulled Shinji by the shoulder, turning him around and shoved a red plugsuit into Shinji's arms. He looked at it very confused and puzzled. Looking back up at Asuka he saw that she was wearing the same kind of red plugsuit as the one that he was holding in his arms.

"Well? Put it on." She said with that same arrogant smile.

"Fuck no." Shinji said tossing the suit back at Asuka.

"What did you say?" Asuka glared.

"I said 'fuck no'." Shinji repeated while he began to take his backpack off. It was something that he had brought with him on this small excursion with Misato. If NERV had taught him anything it taught him that one should be prepared for almost any contingency. Then again, using the ring was much easier than carrying around what he had in his bag. He reached in and pulled out his blue and white plugsuit along with the new type of sync nodes. This type was attached to a headband that would fit around his head.

"Oh, such a prepared child, aren't you?" Asuka asked derisively.

"As opposed to you." Shinji said slipping on the sync node headband, unfurling his plugsuit and starting to undress in front of Asuka who began to blush the same shade of red as her suit. She turned around, covered her eyes and spat obscenities in German.

Shinji hadn't taken off his ring when he slipped his hand into the plugsuit's sleeve. After he pressed the button on the wrist controller he could see the lantern symbol bulging through the plastic but he knew that he would be the only one that could see it. Otherwise Asuka would have made some kind of cutting remark about a boy wearing a green ring.

Seeing Asuka in her plugsuit Shinji was pretty sure of what insanity was going to happen next. Then again given the situation it was the best course of action since none of the weapons that this small escort fleet had would even work on it.

"I'm ready." Shinji said.

Asuka turned around and grabbed Shinji by the hand. That was when Shinji had enough. He yanked it out of her grip.

"Are you blind?" Shinji spat.

"Vhat?" Asuka asked.

"Are you blind?" Shinji repeated.

Asuka was silent.

"Then why do you keep grabbing my goddamn hand?"

Asuka's lips scrunched as if she took a large bite into a lemon and was still allowing the acids to slip down her throat.

"Okay then." Shinji said. "I'd ask you what we're planning to do but it is fairly obvious."

"Are you stupid?" Asuka asked. "We're going to beat that Angel with _my_ unit two."

"Oh brilliant plan." Shinji rolled his eyes. "With what weapons?"

"The progressive knife should do it. And if that doesn't work I'll kill it with my Eva's bare hands." Asuka said proudly while she was working Unit Two's controls to eject and open the entry plug. "This will be an even more famous battle than yours. Get ready for an amazing display of piloting, Third Child. Just sit back and don't get in my way."

"If you don't want me to get in your way then why are you basically dragging me with you?" Shinji retorted.

"Because I want you to see that I'm far more awesome than you."

Shinji followed Asuka into the Entry Plug. He knew that she really was a moron if she was going to go through with this and he had to be there in case she really did mess up in however dozens of ways possible. She may be a bitch but he wasn't about to let her get killed.

Upon climbing in and the entry plug closed up Asuka began to speak the instructions. "LCL Fullung. Anfang der Bewegung. Anfang des Nervenanschlusses. Auslosung von Linkskleigung. Synchro-stat non!"

The internal computers began to click and turn on. The screens were changing color but then everything stopped and a single red word appeared over and over again across the inside of the entry plug. The word was "FEHLER".

"Fehler?" Shinji said aloud.

"It means 'error', stupid." Asuka grunted. "It's thought noise. I told you not to disturb me."  
>"And what did I do?"<p>

"You're thinking in Japanese, aren't you? If you must think do it in _German!_"

Shinji giggled. "Actually, I thinking both Japanese and English but I'll try. _Du Hast Mich. Du Reicht So Gut_. _Ich liebe Dich, mein Schatz._"

Asuka's eyebrows rose before she barked, "_Dumpkopft!_ Nevermind! Switch language to Japanese."

The moment she gave the instruction the word Fehler was gone and the screens began to show what was outside the Eva.

"Evangelion Unit Two. GO!" Asuka commanded and the Eva began to rise out of the pink liquid and push against the gigantic tarp like a sleeping giant.

"Abort!" The voice of the Admiral came through the entry plugs internal speakers. "Stop the Eva Activation sequence!"

"Don't listen to that moron, Asuka! Go for it!" Misato cheered.

"What're you doing!? That Eva and its pilot are under my jurisdiction! You're violating my authority!"

"Who gives a damn about your procedures? This is an emergency!"

Shinji had to roll his eyes and smile upon hearing the back and forth argument between Misato and the Admiral. It made him think of two ants fighting over a cube of sugar.

"Oh dear lord." A voice came through the speakers. "Unit Two is still using the B-type equipment."

"What?" Shinji asked. He looked at the back of the entry plug. Right behind the pilots seat there were the printed words of B-TYPE EQUIPMENT. "If we fall into the ocean we're screwed."

"Then we won't do that." Asuka answered back.

"Brilliant." Shinji muttered.

"Shinji are you in there?" Misato asked over the intercom.

"In a word, unfortunately." Shinji answered back with a laugh in his voice before he turned to Asuka. "Okay, time to kick some ass."

"No need to tell me twice." Asuka smiled as she took the controls and the Eva leapt through the air like some great hero out of an old world legend. And it landed feet first upon a nearby destroyer, pinching in its roof like it was aluminum. All the while the Eva still held onto the gigantic tarp like it was a cloak making it appear like a superhero out of a comic book.

Shinji looked to the internal clock.

"We've only got fifty-eight seconds left of power." He reported.

"I'm aware of that!" Asuka snapped. "Stop side-seat driving, Yankee! Misato, move the power cable onto the flight deck."

"You got it, Asuka." Misato answered.

Through the entry plugs monitors they could see the waves and wakes of the underwater monster maneuvering between the ships like it was looking for something among the different ships.

"Now, let's play hopscotch." Asuka said.

Shinji looked at her and then at the ships. "Oh you've gotta be shittin' me."

Unit Two leapt once again, this time it threw off the gigantic tarp. If Shinji were standing on the flight deck of one of the nearby ships he would have been awestruck by seeing this great machine being able to fly through the air. It seemed so absurd by the sheer fact that the Eva was so many tons in weight and yet it could leap so easily.

It wasn't really hopscotch as Shinji saw it. It was more like leapfrog.

Within a few jumps they were close to the aircraft carrier.

"Eva Unit Two coming in for a landing!" Asuka announced.

The Eva landed upon the flight deck of the aircraft carrier making it tilt and sending several of the fighter planes into the ocean before at last coming to a balance. A fair distance away the wakes made by the Angel were coming in rapidly. Shinji wished that he could use the ring but all opportunities were gone the moment that Asuka had yanked his hand and tried to show off her "superior Eva".

"Switching to External Power." Asuka announced and the countdown stopped. "Switch completed."

With the power problem taken care of, Asuka had made her Eva draw out its progressive knife. It held it out like a street gang member ready to have a knife fight. Looking towards the incoming waves and wakes they saw the Angel arise out of the waves. Its body was long and pale beige similar to the skin of a beluga whale. Sitting atop of a ridge there was that tiny skull that Shinji had seen before in the face of the Angel that he had fought. It was a round circle with a long downward protrusion like a fang while sitting in the center of it were two black dots like dolls' eyes.

"Shit that's huge." Shinji uttered.

"The bigger they are…" Asuka smirked.

The Angel leapt out of the ocean like a flying fish. It's body covering the entire flight deck of the super aircraft carrier. Its weight caused the might ship to sink further down until the water had nearly reached and splashed up upon the deck. The sudden shock had caused Unit Two to loose its progressive knife but the Eva was too busy struggling against the sheer weight and will of the Angel. Its mass had shoved the Eva to a section of the ship where there was a small vehicle elevator. The Eva's foot tripped into it and that sent it and the Angel tumbling into the ocean.

"Asuka!" Misato called out. "It's impossible to fight underwater with the B-type equipment."

"You know what they say you never know until you try." Asuka retorted.

"Yeah and they already tried it. That's why it's impossible." Shinji interjected.

"Oh butt out, Third Child." Asuka growled.

The Angel swam and wriggled its head from left to right. All the while Unit Two held on for dear life as if the Angel's face was the only thing holding it from death.

"The cable's about to run out!" Misato shouted through the cockpit speakers. "Brace for the shock."

Within seconds, the Eva snapped to a stop and floated while the Angel swam away like the one catch that had gotten away from the fisherman's hook.

"Ferdunt." Asuka grumbled.

Even with the sheer adrenaline rush of fighting the Angel, Shinji couldn't help but look out of the cockpit windows and look at the sunken city streets and buildings below. Each of them crumbling and rusting from the salty and slightly polluted waters. Even though it really wasn't the time to reflect upon it, Shinji couldn't help but feel a little saddened by what he saw. That was when he thought about how it was the fault of the Angels that the city was a sunken wreck. He turned his attention back to the open ocean looking for signs of the son of a bitch.

Instantly, there was a pop-up window showing a magnification of one area within the screen. It was the Angel approaching the Eva with speeds that would rival a shark.

"Here he comes." Shinji whispered.

"He won't get away from me this time." Asuka grunted as she took hold of the controls but the Eva did not respond. "What? It's not moving!"

"Told you, it's B-Type Equipment." Shinji repeated.

"What're you going to do?"

"What am _I_ going to do?"

"You're the famous Third Child. So do something."

"Oh so _now_ you need _my_ help, don't you?" Shinji rolled his eyes but then snapped his attention back to the screens and saw the Angel was only a few hundred meters away.

Its mouth opened wider than any oceanic beast that was or ever had been. Within the gum lines of its jaws were several rows of long dagger-like teeth. A long, thick and pink tongue led the way to a red core that hovered at the back of the Angel's mouth as if it were its uvula.

"T-teeth." Asuka shivered.

Within seconds the jaws of the Angel had come down upon the Eva like a worm on a hook. It shook its head from left to right so vigorously that it knocked Shinji from where he was and threw him over Asuka's lap.

"Get off my lap, you pervert!" Asuka shrieked pulling at Shinji's face to get him off of her.

"Oh for god's sakes, not now!" Shinji yelled back before pulling back and crouching near the pilot's seat.

He kept looking around the cockpit screens and only saw the inside of its shut mouth with the red core floating just out of hands reach of Unit Two. Looking at the teeth of the Angel something had clicked inside of Shinji's head. He began to hear a melody in his head.

_ Duh duh... duh duh... duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh... _

"Hey, ever seen 'Jaws'?"

"What're you babbling about, Third Child?" Asuka demanded.

"I know what Shinji's talking about." Misato said. "And I have an idea. Admiral, I need your cooperation. Here's the plan. We'll sink the two remaining battleships, the Illinois and the Kentucky, in line with the umbilical cable as a trap. When the Eva opens the Angel's mouth the ships will in. Once inside, both ships will fire their bow cannons and self-destruct via remote control and thus destroying the target."

"Preposterous!" They heard the Admiral say.

"Preposterous maybe but not entirely impossible." Misato answered back. "Shinji. Asuka. Do you understand the plan?"

"Got it." Shinji said maneuvering himself closer to the pilot controls and placing his hands upon them.

"Hey! Don't pilot my Eva without my permission!" Asuka protested slapping her fists against Shinji's back.

"Will you concentrate on the problem at hand?" Shinji growled. "Or do you want to die today?"

They heard Misato give the order. "Reverse the cable!"

There was a severe yank backward. The cable was being reeled back up the super aircraft carrier and it was pulling the Angel up to the surface and the sinking battleships were only a minute away. The time to defeat the Angel was coming close.

"Hey, are you rubbing against me on purpose?" Asuka yelled. "Cut it out you dork!"

"Jesus Christ! Will you shut the fuck up!?" Shinji spat. "Concentrate goddamn it! We have to open the mouth!"

"Just don't get any funny ideas."

"Whatever. Just do it."

Asuka placed her hands upon Shinji's.

"Open! Open! Open! Open!" Shinji thought while grinding his teeth.

Within the Angel's mouth, something had happened, Unit Two began to move its eyes opened and within its black sockets two pairs of glowing slits had shone through. One hand went for the roof of the mouth while the other went down to the jaw. They push and pushed open the mouth until the Eva was not only free but it was wide enough for the sinking battleships that were only seconds away.

"Smile, you son-of-a-bitch." Shinji smirked.

The ships rammed through cracking away its teeth and making the creature look as silly as a man trying to shove more than one hot dog into its mouth.

"FIRE!" Misato cried out.

The battleships fired its cannons and the creature began to bubble from within like a popcorn bag ready to burst until at last it exploded in an underwater cloud of pink and purple. On the surface of the ocean there was an upward eruption of water and at the top of it was Eva Unit Two that flew up and out like a child's bath toy that had slipped out of grip. At last it landed face first upon the deck of the aircraft carrier. With its umbilical cable lost in the explosion its battery coming to a halt with a dying whir.

At the docks of New Yokosuka (Old Odawara) the damaged Eva and the damaged fleet were pulling in. Shinji, Asuka, Misato, Toji and Kensuke had already disembarked and had come back onto land where Doctor Akagi was waiting for them. Misato had an armful of printouts that she handed to her.

"My-my-my. Looks like this one put you all through the ringer." She observed.

"I should have anticipated it." Misato apologized. "But at least we collected a lot of valuable data."

Doctor Akagi looked it over. Her eyebrows rose. "Misato. This data _is_ important."

"Why's that?" Shinji asked.

"It appears that you two broke your synchronization ratio record." Doctor Akagi answered.

"But only for seven seconds." Misato added. "Must have been because of the danger."

"Or because we were concentrating." Shinji countered. "But there's something that was weird about that whole thing."

"What's that?" Misato asked.

"The way the Angel attacked. It's like it was looking for something."

"Could have been Unit Two."

Shinji shook his head. "I doubt it. If it was looking for Unit Two it would have done more than just bit into it."

"Oh well. One more mystery that probably won't be solved today."

As the two of them were conversing about it, they didn't notice how Asuka kept looking around everywhere like a little girl looking for her father.

"Hey, where's Kaji?" Asuka asked with anticipation in her eyes.

"He took a powder." Misato sneered. "He's probably back to headquarters by now. That jerk."

"My goodness that was an eventful trip, wasn't it?" Kaji remarked looking away from the window of Commander Gendo Ikari's Office. "Was it caused by this? I wonder."

He stepped closer to Gendo's desk where there was an abnormally thick case that had all kinds of warning stickers on it, including "Biohazard". Gendo had opened the case and a mist wafted out of it and the two of them looked down at its contents.

"Quite amazing that it has restored itself this far." Kaji observed. "It's frozen but still alive. So this is the key to the Human Instrumentality Project, right?"

"Correct." Gendo confirmed. "This is the first human being. This is Adam."

"By the way." Kaji said. "On my way here I met someone who has an interest in you. He also has come bearing a gift. He wanted to meet you directly but in light of circumstances he felt it best to meet you through me."

"And who is this individual?"

Out of the shadows behind Kaiji came a very tall man with purple skin, yellow eyes, pointed ears, slicked-back black hair and a pencil thin mustache. He was dressed in a black suit with a yellow tie and carried a yellow case.

"I shall tell you after I give you this." He said as he set the yellow case on the desk. Upon opening it Gendo Ikari looked inside and found a yellow lantern and a ring.

"What am I supposed to do with these useless trinkets?" Gendo asked.

"You see so little potential in anything." The strange man had stated. "But I knew that you were the best candidate because my ring could sense the fear within you. It can see into your mind. You fear the old men that may stop your goals. You fear that you may fail in your endeavors. You fear you will never see your wife again. And that fear will give you power. And that will be channeled through these. Give me your hand."

Gendo wasn't a man who took orders very well but something compelled him to lift his hand to the purple skinned man who grabbed his wrist, took the ring out of the case and shoved it onto his finger. There was an eruption of yellow light and Gendo Ikari found himself wearing a skintight uniform with a strange symbol on his chest and the ring was glowing with that same yellow light.

"What is this?" Gendo asked.

"This is a weapon of fear." The purple-skinned man answered. "My name is Sinestro. And _you_ are now part of _my_ corps. Now say it."

"_In blackest day, in brightest night,_" Gendo uttered, "_beware your fears made into light. Let those who try to stop what's right, burn like his power…Sinestro's might!_"

Meanwhile, back at Shinji's school, Toji, Kensuke and Shinji were sitting at their desks discussing the events that happened out at sea.

"She may have been cute but she was a real bitch" Toji observed.

"Yeah, I'm certainly glad that's over" Kensuke added, "and we won't have to see her again."

"But Mister Big Shot here will have to work with her. I really feel sorry for him."

"Your condolences are much appreciated, Toji" Shinji grinned.

No sooner had the words been said that the door to the classroom had opened and the three boys looked and with shock, horror and revulsion they realized who it was when the young girl with flowing red hair passed the front rows to the chalkboard and wrote her name in German and Japanese. She turned around with a very pleasant smile.

"I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu" she introduced, "charmed huh?"

**Next time:**

Carrol's Voice: After a very disastrous battle, Misato devises a plan so that Shinji and Asuka must work together but Shinji finds the situation to be very compromising since there's too much at risk for his secrets to be learned. Will he still keep it hidden and manage to defeat the Angel with this new partner? Find out in the next chapter.

But I still think she's a bitch.

Misato's voice: Hey, don't diss my pilots! And by the way there's going to be fan service.

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 7 – Moving in, Close Calls and Dancing**


	7. Chapter 7

Neon Genesis Evangelion and Green Lantern

Emerald Genesis

A Fan Fiction

By

Dusty Vaughn (ClassicCowboy)

And

Jon Rodriguez (TattooAlchemist)

"With friends like this who needs enemies?"

- Unknown

Chapter 7: Moving in, Close Calls and Dancing

Shinji was walking to school with Toji and Kensuke.

"Man, did you hear all the talk going around?" Kensuke asked. "All everyone is talking about is Asuka. _Asuka. Asuka. Asuka._"

"Yeah, but it is generating great revenue for all those pictures you two are taking of her" Shinji observed.

"But they're totally clueless" Toji said, "At least her pictures don't reflect their personality."

"That reminds me," Kensuke beamed, "Toji, we need to get to school quick. We got a lot of customers waiting."

"Right," Toji said sounding a little listless, "See you there, Shinji."

"See you." Shinji waved while the two of them dashed on ahead.

No sooner were they gone that a voice cooed to Shinji that was both lovely and dreadful.

"_Halllooooo"_ The voice called out.

Shinji turned and saw Asuka coming towards him. She was dressed in the blue and white school uniform and her back slung over her shoulder in a very tough-guy sort of pose.

"Guten Morgen, Shinji" she greeted.

"Guten morgen, Asuka," Shinji greeted back, "dich zu sehen."

"Not bad, Third Child" Asuka complemented.

"Yeah, the internet is such a fine thing."

"And you should appreciate your good fortune for talking to the most popular girl in school." Asuka said this when she came up to Shinji and sharply flicked his forehead with her middle finger.

"I'll appreciate my good fortune when I win the lottery," Shinji grunted while he rubbed his forehead.

Asuka ignored Shinji's quip and immediately changed the subject, "Hey, the other one is here isn't she?"

"Other one?" Shinji asked.

"What are you? Stupid? I'm talking about the First Child, of course."

"Ah, Ayanami," Shinji nodded, "she's over there."

He motioned to a bench where the blue haired girl named Rei Ayanami was sitting alone reading a book. Asuka went over to the bench and stood up on a low brick wall. Her shadow blocking Rei's reading sunlight. She moved herself down the length of the bench to get back into the sunlight and continue to read but Asuka stepped off the low brick wall and stood on the bench overshadowing Rei.

"Hello," She smirked in her normal arrogant sort of way, "you must be the pilot of the prototype, huh?"

Rei said nothing.

"I'm Asuka. Asuka Langley Sohryu. Let's be good friends."

"What for?" Rei asked as flatly as a robot.

"Because it would be convenient, don't you think?"

"If I'm ordered to do it then I will."

This response caught Asuka so off-guard that her eyebrows raised and she whispered to herself, "Weirdo."

"Takes one to know one" Shinji remarked passing the two of them before his cell phone rang.

He picked it up and heard Misato's voice.

"Shinji," Misato ordered, "Bring Asuka and Rei to headquarters at once. An angel has been sighted off the Ki'I Peninsula."

"Got it" Shinji said hanging up his phone and reported to Asuka and Rei, "That was Misato. We got an angel coming in."

"Wunderva!" Asuka grinned, "Time for my first battle in Japan."

Shinji only rolled his eyes.

The Eva's were dispatched from their launch bays and taken into the air by specially designed carriers that would drop them in on the target like paratroopers. Only Eva's Unit One and Unit Two were taken. Unit Zero was to stay behind as back-up. While the two of them were in the cockpits of their Eva's on their way to the intercept point Misato was giving their briefing.

"The recent Angel battle has severely damaged our Angel Intercept System," Misato explained, "Only twenty-six percent of our defense capability has been restored. In addition, our operational capability for actual combat is virtually nil. Therefore, we're going to have to intercept the target at the water's edge right before it makes land. Unit's one and two will mount a coordinated attack in a series of waves. In other words, close in and take turns."

"Got it," Shinji acknowledged.

"This sucks," Asuka moaned, "my first fight over Japan and she won't let me handle it solo."

"Oh, would you get the sand out of your panties and concentrate?" Shinji barked.

"What'd you say, Third Child?"

"Look, this isn't a field of honor, it's a war," Shinji explained, "It's not about winning medals. It's about winning battles."

"Well, let me tell you something, Third Child. Just don't get in my way." Asuka huffed, "Really, your selection as a pilot must have been a joke."

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you" Shinji quipped.

"I'm so gonna kick your ass when this fight is over."

"Save that energy for this fight."

With that the Eva's were dropped down at the intercept point. They fell to the ground like heavy children's toys but they didn't break upon impact. Instead the two of them landed feet first crouching down into the sand with a small cloud rising at their feet. At the same time large utility trucks backed up and gave the Eva's their weapons.

Looking out to the water they saw a great breech of water like a whale bursting to the surface. Instead, they saw the Angel. The thing was shaped like a man's body as if it was crafted by a child: no head only a curvature of the shoulders and arms in a downward arc. And two very short legs. In the center of what would be called the "chest" there was a bony circle that was divided like a yin and yang symbol: two holes with an s-shaped crack dividing them.

"Watch and learn, Third Child," Asuka declared as she had her Eva take its bladed spear and charge directly for the target. "Cover me!"

"Dumbass rookie" Shinji grunted.

Eva Unit Two leapt high into the air like a character out of a Chinese martial arts film, it swung its spear high over its head and brought it cleanly down upon the angel splitting it in half like chicken breasts.

"No way was it that easy" Shinji uttered his skepticism.

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Third Child," Asuka strutted, "A battle should be clean and elegant without waste."

"You really are a marvel, Asuka. You can strut while sitting down."

"Shinji! Asuka! The target is not dead!" Misato called out through the COM.

The two pilots looked and saw something change in the bony sphere in its chest. It changed from its yin and yang configuration to one of a simple gray sphere with three holes in it like the sockets of a skull. The halves that Asuka had so cleanly cut had begun to move and reshape themselves into twin beings. One was orange and the other was gray. Each one had the bright red core in its chest below the bony circle.

Asuka and Shinji found themselves back at Headquarters in the debriefing room watching replays of the battle and the aftermath while one of the operators went through a transcript of the battle.

"At ten-fifty-eight and fifteen seconds a.m. Unit One was attacked by Target A which split off the target submerged two kilometers off Suruga Bay. Twenty seconds later, Unit Two was attacked by Target B."

On the screen the final pictures were of Unit One submerged in water with its legs sticking upward like football goal posts. The same could be said of Unit Two only it was buried in the hills of a nearby farm.

"We have a comment from the chair of Project E."

Doctor Akagi's voice boomed out, "THIS IS PATHETIC!"

"At eleven-oh-two a.m. U.N. forces made an attack with an N2 mine. They succeeded in burning off twenty-eight percent of the target's structure. However, this is a temporary measure. The second attack is only a matter of time."

"This is your fault!" Asuka accused Shinji, "You totally screwed up my debut battle."

"Well, can't say you did much better," Shinji pointed out, "Thought you were so cool. _Watch and learn _she says. Well I was watchin' know what I saw?"

"Now Shinji," Kaji tried to quell the situation, "there's no need for that. And at least now we've got time to regroup."

"Alright you two," Commander Fuyutsuki commanded, "what is your job here at NERV?"

"Piloting the Eva?" Asuka asked sounding very mousy.

"Wrong!" Fuyutsuki bellowed, "It's to defeat the Angels! NERV does not exist to make grotesque spectacles like this. Therefore, you two will learn to work together!"

"Why should we?" Shinji and Asuka asked in unison.

"Enough!" Fuyutsuki shouted before excusing himself.

After he left Asuka asked Kaji, "Why does everyone get so angry here?"

"Adults have a thing about creditability." Kaji answered smoothly.

"Hey," Shinji asked, "Where's Misato? Shouldn't she be here with us for this debriefing?"

"She's clearing things up. It's the duty of the person in charge to take responsibility if anything goes wrong."

Shinji winced, "I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right now."

Shinji was walking home in the high heat. He wiped his forehead and noticed how much sweat was coming off of him. It occurred to him that he should take a cold bath once he got home and home was the best part about living in Tokyo-3. It was the one place where he was away from that damn redhead Asuka.

Coming upon the apartment complex that he called "home" he did notice that there was a moving truck with the DHL logo on the side of it driving out of the parking lot. Shinji figured that someone must be moving into the apartment building.

He came to the apartment door, walked in and called out, "I'm home." But then whispered to himself, "Not that anyone's home, anyway."

He was taking his shoes off when he looked up and noticed boxes upon boxes with that DHL logo on them.

"What the hell is all this crap?!" Shinji called out.

"Hey, don't call my stuff 'crap', Third Child." An all too familiar voice said. "These are my personal belongings."

He looked and found Asuka Langley Sohryuu leaning nonchalantly against a nearby wall, dressed in a pair of shorts, a yellow tank top, a towel around her neck and drinking Coke.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Shinji demanded.

"And what are _you_ still doing here?" Asuka asked in return.

"Still here?"

"It's obvious isn't it? You've been replaced by the new model. Misato will be living with _me._ Of course, that would be the most logical choice when you consider my superior abilities. Although, I'd rather live with Kaji."

"Sure you would, Lolita. And where's my stuff?"

"Over there." Asuka pointed to a box that had Shinji's stuff piled into it as if it were going to a garage sale.

"Hey, why are Japanese houses so small, anyway?" Asuka asked, "I couldn't even get half my stuff in my new room. And Japanese sure have no sense of privacy. How can they live in a room without locks?"

"The Japanese way is to consider the needs of others before one's own." Misato said stepping up behind Asuka. "And it looks like you two are going to get along just great?"

"What?" Shinji and Asuka asked in unison.

"This is your training," Misato explained, "You two are going to be roommates."

"Say what?" They asked again in unison.

Misato had brought Shinji and Asuka into the dining area and had laid out the briefing to them.

"There is only one way to destroy the seventh Angel," She began, "execute a simultaneous two point attack on its core while the Angel is separated. In other words, an attack on the two halves by two Evas with perfectly synchronized timing. Coordination between the two of you will be vital to the success of this mission. To that end, I want the two of you to live together from now on."

"WHAT?!" Asuka bellowed, "A boy and a girl should never sleep under the same roof after the age of seven!"

"And where'd you pull that rule out of?" Shinji asked.

"What'd you say!?" Asuka demanded.

"Quiet!" Misato demanded slamming her fist down on the table in the same authoritarian position as a judge calling order in the court.

Auska and Shinji backed down.

"The Angel is currently regenerating itself," she explained, "and it will begin its second assault in six days."

"But it's…_impossible_" Asuka moaned in protest.

"We have a way of _making _it possible." Misato pulled out a small music disk, "The master attack pattern will be choreographed by using this music. If you use it and work perfectly in sync you will destroy both targets. We begin now and we attack in six days."

Shinji looked to Asuka. She turned her attention to him and then snapped her look away from him with a very audible, "Hmph!"

The big room where the television resided had been converted into a training area as well as a sleeping area. The sleeping area mainly consisted of two pillows, two blankets and two bed pads. The training area on the other hand made Shinji think of a game that he played as a young boy: _Dance Dance Revolution_. There were two pads laid out on the floor that had red dots. Whenever pressure was put upon them the pads would light up. Set up between these two floor pads was a machine similar to a karaoke machine where the music would play. Finally on either side of the karaoke machine were two scoreboards and two traffic lights.

Misato explained the drills, "You will each stand upon one pad. You will try to match your movements to the music via wireless headphones and to when the red circles light up. The scoreboard will tell you how well you're final synchronization score. The traffic lights will tell you if you're doing well: green is good, yellow means you're not doing well and red means you need help."

Shinji had been in a quiet panic that whole night. It was not only because of the prospect that this detestable redhead was moving into the place that he had considered to be a private sanctum from the rest of his crazy life but it was also the very real possibility that in the course of moving in she may have stumbled upon his Lantern battery. This was why the coordination drills were such a problem because Shinji had trouble concentrating. And if that wasn't bad enough, each time they failed Asuka would start yelling obscenities at Shinji in German.

After a few hours of this, dinner became an uncomfortably quiet affair. Shinji tried to eat slowly and not make it seem like he was in a rush. Upon finishing dinner and putting his dish into the sink he walked casually to the place that used to be his room. Moving past the stacks of boxes, he got down upon the floor and looked down into the space between the floor and the bed. The lantern was still wrapped up in his old shirt. Breathing a sigh of slight relief he pulled it out from under the bed and out of the shirt before touching his ring to the face of it. After a small flash of green light burst out of the lantern he wrapped it up again and stowed it away beneath his bed. Looking at the ring he clenched his fists and made his own resolution for the situation.

"Hell with Asuka and this plan," he thought, "I'm going to go defeat the Angel with my ring."

Upon concentrating, the Lantern's uniform formed over his body, he opened the window and was about to fly out when he heard a noise outside his door. A hand had reached into the handle and was about to open it. Quickly he retracted the uniform and found Asuka standing there.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"What're _you_ doing in _my_ room, Third Child?" Asuka demanded.

"Came in to get some stuff that was left behind," Shinji said with half-truth.

"I saw a green light coming from in here." She explained.

"Night light."

Asuka cocked an eyebrow, "Aren't you a little old for a night light, Third Child?"

"Hey, with all these boxes around here, I'm going to need one so I don't break a foot or a toe."

"Whatever. Misato said it's your turn to do the dishes." Asuka reported.

Shinji shook his head, "Okay, I'll be there."

"Yeah, you do that while I go have a bath."

After Asuka left, he breathed another sigh of relief that she didn't catch him in the act. He started to wonder if there would even be an opportunity to get away from her so that he could use his ring and defeat the Angel. He went underneath the bed, pulled out the lantern that was wrapped in his shirt and took it out to where his box of stuff was and hid it underneath it all to avoid suspicion.

He came to the kitchen and started to wash the dishes. During the repetitive activity it occurred to him that he would still be in the same situation as before with Asuka that he would still need to coordinate a two-point attack on the Angel and even though he had come a long way on his construct training he wasn't sure if he could do something like that just yet. Even if he were to attack the Angel in its weakened state, no doubt there would be NERV personnel around keeping an eye on the creature. And to have Shinji show up in a Green Lantern uniform and defeat the Angel would raise far too many problems.

Misato was drinking her beer in her usual gulping manner and smiling after she gave a small belch. Shinji had to smile too because despite the dire situation she still managed to be so carefree.

Then, out of nowhere, there was a high-pitched scream pierced through the air over them. Shinji wanted to look to see where the scream was coming from but he was washing a knife and he knew that if he turned his head there would be the very real risk of him cutting himself. Besides, he knew that the scream belonged to Asuka and he wanted to see how this little incident would turn out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the plastic hallway curtain was wrenched back and there was Asuka standing stark naked with a look of pure terror on her face.

"There's some sort of weird creature in the bathroom!" She cried out.

Within a moment of her shock the warm-water penguin had waddled past Asuka as if it wasn't at all phased by the appearance of this redheaded stranger or her outburst.

"That's just Pen-pen." Shinji said setting down the knife he was cleaning and he turned around to find Asuka in her uncensored form. He began to blush when he saw how incredibly beautiful she was. Her skin was so smooth without a single blemish upon it. Her figure was like an hourglass. Then there were her breasts. So pert and perky. He couldn't believe what he was seeing a girl naked who wasn't a photograph or a computer image.

Asuka quickly noticed that Shinji was staring. Her face went as red as a beet and she burst into rage with a swift roundhouse kick to the side of his face. Shinji spun and fell over onto his side grasping at the numbing pain in his face.

"You pervert!" Asuka shrieked, "Idiot! Letch! Unbelievable! This is why I hate boys!"

With that she stamped back to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

After a few moments, Shinji got back to his feet still holding the site of his face where Asuka had hit him. He then went over to the freezer where there was the ice. Grabbing a handful of it he pressed it against his face.

"Honestly, if it weren't for her attitude she would be cute," he commented aloud.

"Well, you are getting more honest with each other," Misato observed.

"Yeah, like the families on Jerry Springer."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Shinji shook his head remembering the difference of cultures.

Misato smiled, "I think that's a good start, wouldn't you say so, Pen-pen?"

The penguin only squawked.

During that whole time of training Shinji and Asuka had to do everything together: eat, breathe, train and sleep together. The worst part to Shinji was that he had to dress up in a similar outfit as Asuka. She wore a spandex singlet with a pink shirt over it that had red musical notes over it. Shinji's, on the other hand, only had a powder blue shirt with green musical notes on it.

Life had continued on like this for three days. From sun-up to sun-down they worked on those pads trying to synchronize their movements to the music. It was just like _Dance Dance Revolution_ to Shinji only he was more used to playing by himself or with someone who was better at the game.

And it was on the third day that events had reached a boiling point.

They were in the middle of training when the doorbell rang but neither one had answered it. They simply continued on with their training going step by step by step. And always messing up and making the machine deliver that awful error noise that had dampened their spirits a little more each time they heard it.

The door opened and they were greeted by their friends: Toji, Kensuke and Hikari who were followed by Rei and Misato.

"What are you two doing?" Hikari demanded.

Shinji and Asuka had answered in unison; "It's all Misato's fault. We have to do everything together."

"It's true," Misato explained, "its part of their training."

"Whew!" Toji exclaimed. "And here I thought you had betrayed us, Shinji."

"And I thought you two were living in sin," Hikari expressed her relief. "So how are they coming along?"

"Take a look," Misato instructed.

Once again, Shinji and Asuka fell out of sync and the machine made that error noise.

"SHEITZ!" Asuka shrieked before throwing her headphones at Shinji, "How can Misato expect me to synchronize with someone like you?"

"Hey, at least I'm trying," Shinji countered.

"Yeah, you're trying at losing." Asuka snapped back.

"Oh yeah?" Shinji countered, "If I'm trying at losing then why are you falling out of sync first?"

Asuka let out a frustrated grunt, "It's because you're just useless! No wonder your father abandoned you. Personally, I think you should have been an abortion!"

"Asuka!" Hikari gasped at the atrociousness of her acid tongue.

That was the last straw, Shinji stood up and looked at Asuka in her infuriated blue eyes before he balled up his hand and allowed it to fly against Asuka's face in the form of an open palm. The crack against her cheek was so audible that it reverberated between the walls of the apartment. The redhead was so thunderstruck that she held her cheek and looked at Shinji dumbfounded by what had happened.

"Apologize," Shinji demanded.

Within a matter of seconds, Asuka's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows scrunched together, her lips pulled back into a snarl and her teeth were grinding. That was when Shinji discovered how unprotected he was when Asuka's leg came swiftly up and landed between his legs. At first he could only feel Asuka's foot hitting his pubic bone but he could also feel a pair of very soft egg shaped objects between the hardness of Asuka's foot and his own body. Then the nerves came back online and the surge of pain went from Shinji's groin and shot upward into his abdomen. He doubled over and fell to his knees. The pain was at such intensity that he could barely hear Asuka scream "I can't take this anymore!"

"Asuka!" Hikari called out.

"Wow," Toji observed, "that must have really hurt."

"Shinji!" Hikari hissed at the injured boy, "Go apologize to Asuka! You hit her and made her cry!"

"Why should I?" Shinji wheezed trying to work his way through the pain.

"Yeah, leave him alone class rep. He got kicked in the balls. Let him recover before you bust them a second time."

"I think all of you should be going for now," Misato said.

"Sure," Kensuke agreed, "Come on everyone. Let him recover."

With that, the three of them had left.

Misato came to Shinji's side and helped him roll over onto his back.

"I'll get you some ice," She said sounding like a concerned nurse.

Within moments she came back with an ice bag that she carefully laid between Shinji's legs. She sat down next to the boy while the coolness of the ice cubes soaked through his singlet and soothed his ache.

"I'll call Ritsuko for your injury," Misato said. "But I do think that Hikari is right that you should apologize to Asuka. But then again I think she should also apologize to you. Not for what you did to each other but because you both need to work as a team."

"What if she doesn't want to work as a team?" Shinji grunted.

"Then I'll just have to switch operations to have you work with Rei." Misato answered.

The moment that she said that the door to the big room was thrown open and Asuka cried out, "NO! YOU CAN'T! YOU BITCH!"

Shinji looked and guess that Asuka was there the whole time but then she slammed the door and he heard the front too open and shut as well.

"Oh no," Misato exhaled, "Looks like we might have to switch to Rei."

"Nah," Shinji grunted rolling over to his side and getting to his feet but still bending forward as if he were a crippled old man in need of his cane. "I'll go apologize to her."

Going out the front door and getting his shoes Shinji wondered why he was doing it. The girl was such a bitch to him and pretty much everyone else. Not to mention the damage that she did to Shinji's potential future children but something compelled him to go forward and find her. After getting his street shoes on he went out to the balcony and found Asuka dashing down the street towards a corner convenience store.

The walk to the convenience store was a long one given how Shinji had to basically hobble his way from the apartment to the elevator and to the corner convenience store. Thankfully, Asuka was still there, she was crouching down in front of an open refrigerator section. He wasn't entirely sure of it when he approached her but he thought he heard Asuka quietly sobbing.

He had hoped to approach her quietly but it was as if she could have heard him coming the moment he stepped out of the apartment when she said to him, "Don't say anything."

Shinji said nothing.

"I know that you're sorry."

"Took the words out of my mouth," Shinji responded.

"But I will tell you something else," She said upon standing up, "I'm going to put Rei and Misato to shame!"

"Why? We're all on the same team."

"You're being too simple even for a male. It's my pride and honor that's at steak can't you understand that?"

"Somewhat. But I hope the people will understand if we fail."

"We _won't_ fail."

And so the training continued.

It was the final day. The attack would be the next morning. Shinji and Asuka had both been training hard day in and day out until at last the two of them had reached perfect scores on that infernal training machine. There was such relief on both their parts when they had finally reached perfection with the drills and they could finally relax.

On the night before the attack Asuka had come out of the shower wrapped in a towel and a second towel on her head.

"Where's Misato?" She asked Shinji.

"At work," Shinji answered from the big room where he was lying on his small cot of a bed. He had one earbud still playing the same song he heard for the past six days. "She called earlier and said she'd be there all night."

Asuka grinned, "So that means we're all alone tonight, huh?"

Shinji rolled over to look at Asuka still wrapped in her towel.

"I would get into that with you," he said in jest, "But I'm still recovering from that kick you gave me."

"Aw, poor baby," Asuka said making a mockingly soothing tone, "Would you like me to bring you a glass of warm milk and a teddy bear before going sleepy-bye?"

"Sure, and a sponge bath would be nice too."

"Hmph!" Asuka said.

She gathered up her blanket, bedding and pillow and crossed over to the next room but before closing the door she stared down at Shinji.

"This door here is the Wall of Jericho, Third Child." She stated, "And if you cross it, you're a dead man. Now time to go to bed, children."

Shinji slept with his MP3 player playing that one song over and over again like a student making last minute studying before the exam in the morning. It must have been during the middle of the night when he heard some rustlings from Asuka who went to the bathroom. He paid it no mind and tried to sleep but then he was woken by a heavy thud in front of him.

He opened his eyes and found Asuka sleeping in front of him. She was wearing a simple loose yellow shirt that had such a low cut to the neck that he could easily look down and see the curvature of her breasts once again. He wondered if she was awake or not. That was when he decided to play a small trick on her to get her back for the groin kick.

He leaned himself closer to her and decided to wake her up with a small kiss. His heart raced so much that he could feel it beating within his ears and then there was his own arousal fueled by what his eyes saw and his own male hormones. Even though he wasn't even attracted to this bitch of a girl he couldn't help his own arousal.

There was only an inch left when he stopped. He saw a trickle of a tear rolling from her closed eyes down her nose and to her cheek. Her lips were moving as well. At first they only moved but no sound came out. On the second time that they moved, Shinji heard Asuka's voice in a low murmur that sounded so vulnerable and child-like:

"Mama…mama…"

Shinji only smiled while he pulled back and rolled over, "So, there is a human being in there after all."

"The target has broken through the final defense line at Gora," One of the Nerv Operators had reported over the communications channel.

Shinji was sitting in the cockpit of his Eva, his stomach in knots about whether or not this fight would succeed or not. He looked down at the emerald ring on his right hand and thought to himself that if all else fails he would use the ring to fight the enemy. But it would have to be his last resort.

"Here it comes," Misato stated over the COM and added with true conviction, "we won't fail this time. Now then, Asuka. Shinji. Spread your AT fields as soon as the music starts then follow the operation choreography. Are you two ready?"

"Ready!" Asuka and Shinji said in unison.

"The target has entered the mountains," An operator reported.

"Full power and maximum speed, got it, Shinji?" Asuka had asked.

"I know," Shinji answered rather annoyed, "We'll be finished in sixty-two seconds."

"Target is entering ground zero," The operator reported.

"Detatch external power cables," Misato ordered.

TIME REMAINING: 00:01:10

"Eva launch!" Misato ordered.

And with that order the Evas had launched to the surface and the music began. The two flew into the air with the same grace that would have rivaled ballet dancers or gymnasts. In perfect unison they threw down their weapons at the angel who then split apart into the same two halves that had humiliated them only six days previous. They made their attacks with gun weapons without causing any damage to the target but damage was not the goal in this part of the operation. Only to draw the targets attention which they both did when they began to fire volleys at Unit One and Unit Two. To this both Evas retreated backward doing one backflip over the other.

TIME REMAINING: 00:00:32

The two Evas hid behind a large steel wall that popped up out of the street. It protected them from one of the angels' attacks. They came out from behind it firing another set of rifle shots at them. But the angels retaliated by slicing through the steel wall like scissors through tissue paper. The Evas retreated momentarily while a barrage of missile attacks launched from hidden cannons within the buildings and mobile U.N. armaments stationed in the nearby hills.

With the angel distracted the Evas came up and gave them both a swift uppercut and a good roundhouse kick which sent the monster flying backward and combining itself back into one body again. That was when the Evas flew up and came down upon the target each with one foot out aiming at their red cores.

The foot of Unit One and Two made contact and made a shoving slide against the Angel towards the hill like a baseball player sliding towards home plate.

TIME REMAINING: 00:00:05

The cores were damaged and with only one second on the clock they both exploded. The operation was a swift and almost flawless success. At least that's how it looked to those who were watching the battle deep inside NERV. They all watched the light of the explosion fade away and the dust settling around the crater where the Angel was defeated but to their embarrassment they found Unit One and Unit Two lying on top of each other.

It was a mystery to Shinji when he found Unit Two lying across the back of Unit One. He managed to climb out of the Entry Plug but he stopped when he heard a phone ringing. Looking to where it was coming from he saw part of the Eva opening up and there was a simple phone receiver sitting upon a plastic base.

He picked it up, "Hello?" He asked wondering who was calling him.

"YOU JERK!" Asuka's voice screamed at him, "What're you doing under my Unit Two!?"

Shinji's eyes went wide with surprise when he saw a holographic projection of Asuka's upper body projecting out of the phone receiver's base. He had often heard of holographic phones but this was the first time of seeing it but his amazement took a backseat to being yelled at by Asuka.

"Hey, you fell on me!" Shinji yelled back.

"You're the one who lost timing first, Dumpkoft!" Asuka spat back, "You're really slow. What were you doing last night?"

"I was image training for today's battle!"

"Liar! I know you tried to kiss me while I was sleeping!"

"You were awake!?"

"MEIN GOTT! I was just kidding! Did you really kiss me?!"

"No! I didn't!"

"Pervertieren! Lechzen! Teufel! I can't believe you!"

If either one could have seen the faces of those who were watching the whole scene at NERV's operation center they would also see their director shaking his head and saying how these kids were embarrassing the organization again.

**Next time:**

Carrol's Voice: NERV decides to try to capture an unhatched Angel inside an active volcano. So they send in a specially outfitted Eva into the depths of Hell itself.

Misato's voice: And don't worry there will be lots of fan service.

Carrol's Voice: Aren't we being gratuitous with that?

Misato's voice: Shut up. The fans love it.

**Neon Green Evangelion: Chapter 8 – Into the Fire**


End file.
